


A Tragic Mistake

by UnknownWarner



Category: Animaniacs
Genre: Action, Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Investigation, Wakko Angst, Wakko Centered, kidnap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:41:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 38,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28245588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnknownWarner/pseuds/UnknownWarner
Summary: No matter how mad or annoyed you are, you should always listen to those who are in charge of you. Wakko is about to learn why.
Relationships: Dot Warner & Wakko Warner & Yakko Warner, Dot Warner & Yakko Warner, Wakko Warner & Yakko Warner
Comments: 15
Kudos: 61





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story does contain a hefty amount of angst and a bit of bad language in later chapters. Also, please note that I started writing this story in 2014 when I was in 8th grade. I've gone through and re-written some of the earlier chapters, but the age still shows just a bit. I hope you all still enjoy this story. I plan to have the whole story up before Christmas!
> 
> Comments are extremely appreciated! I'd love to interact with anyone who reads!
> 
> "XxxxxxxX" - this will signal a change in scene.

Wakko sulked in his room - annoyed and angry both at the same time. He had gotten in trouble with Yakko for using a few "choice" words. He had no idea what they meant! All he knew was that they sounded cool and he wanted to use them!

He learned those words from dumpster writing. How cliché.

Yakko almost went ballistic once he heard those nasty words come out of Wakko's mouth.

"Why do I have to be stuck with such an overprotective weirdo for a brother?" Wakko thought to himself.

Wakko started thinking about what it would be like to have a brother that wasn't so protective. He went back and fourth in his mind on what life would be like if his brother didn't care. Even though he was angry, he decided that he would rather have a caring, albeit annoying, brother.

It was a beautiful day in Burbank. The Sun was shining, birds were chirping, and the air smelled surprisingly clean, despite having a hint of must and gasoline in it. Everything was just about perfect.

Wakko looked out the window of the water tower and envied just about everyone who wasn't indoors. It was cold, boring, quiet, and lonely in the tower. Yakko and Dot had left to go see a movie. It's not like he wanted to see the movie they were going to, but it would at least beat sitting alone in the tower.

Wakko fell back onto his bed and started daydreaming about various things to try and keep himself from dying of boredom.

Food... Don knots... more food...

Wakko was snapped out of his daydream when he heard a loud growl come from his stomach. He left his room and headed straight for the kitchen. He went through the fridge, finding nothing but vegetables and fruit. He then went through the cabinets, finding nothing but plates and bowls. In the freezer was a frozen pizza he was thinking about making, but he decided he would rather not burn down the tower. He eventually ended up at the pantry.

"Hmm.. Bananas, cherries, boring."

Wakko sighed as he closed the pantry, annoyed that he couldn't find anything good to eat.

"Must... have... FOOD!" He shouted.

Wakko was contemplating on weather it was worth it to go against his brothers wishes and go to the studio café.

On one hand, he was thinking about what would happen if he got caught. On the other, he was thinking about how much he wanted food and that as long as he didn't get caught, nothing would go wrong.

He groaned as his stomach growled with much more intensity than before.

"It's definitely worth it."

He quickly left the tower and began his descent. The warm fresh air and shining sun felt great on his body. Once he was off the ladder, he quickly started making his way to the studio Café.

He opened the door to the café and took a deep breath, smelling the fragrance of the café. It sort of smelled like a combination of hospitals and burnt cheese.

Once he was in he immediately began getting himself several pieces of chicken, more food then any normal person would. He sat down and began to dig in.

XxxxxxxX

Outside the studio walls was a man sitting inside his car. His window was down, and he was holding a cigar out the window, letting the smoke blow in the wind.

He was covered in shadows that were projected by the large structures surrounding him.

"I see him." The man said in a very rough Australian accent. He got out a small bag filled with a white powder and poured a decent amount of it it into a dirty washcloth.

He then got out of his vehicle and began to walk towards the entrance of the studio. He stopped just short of entering, and then took another hit from his cigar and then threw it on the ground.

The man then got a walkie-talkie out of his pocket.

"Where is he now?" The man asked into his walkie-talkie

A deep and rough sounding voice responded with "In the café. He should be out soon"

The man nodded as he prepared for what was about to happen.

"When will the truck be here?" The man asked into the walkie-talkie.

"Its right around the corner." Said the voice from the walkie.

"I hope you're ready, we only have one shot at this."

"Don't worry, everything will be fine."

"You better be right. We have spent too much money on this to fail."

The man tensed up and got out another cigar, waiting for his victim.

XxxxxxxX

Wakko gobbled down his chicken almost as fast as he does on the show. Even though he was an actor, he felt a lot like his character sometimes. He could obviously never eat as much as he could on Animaniacs, but he could still eat quite a bit!

Yakko's gonna kill me...

Thinking about getting in trouble with Yakko took the boy out of his good mood. He needed to be careful and make sure he got back to the tower on time before his brother did.

He quickly ate the rest of his chicken and made a dash for the door.

On his way back to the tower, he was distracted by a certain melody. It was a happy and childish sounding song that was being played. The song came closer until he figured out what it was - an ice cream truck!

Wakko excitedly ran to the gate so that he could catch the truck before it passed. He made it out just before the truck drove by.

"One chocolate scoop in a cone please!" Wakko said happily to the ice cream man.

"One Dollar and fifty cents please" The man said to Wakko.

As Wakko was digging in his pocket for money, he could sense someone approaching him from behind.

Before Wakko could react, the man grabbed him and threw him into the truck. Before Wakko knew what was going on, his face was covered with a powdery washcloth. He was out before he even had time to scream for help.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story does contain some violence, but there will NOT be any sort of non-con or graphic depictions of torture/violence. This story is strictly T rated. Enjoy!
> 
> "XxxxxxxX" - This indicates a change in scene.
> 
> I'll be using an asterisks "*" to represent a characters thoughts.

"That was amazing!" Dot said to Yakko as they left the theater.

"Are you kidding? That was one of the WORST movies I have seen in my entire life!" Yakko said back to Dot.

"But it was so romantic! It was beautiful!" Dot said while making big arm movements.

"Beautifully disgusting. I thought I was gonna start throwing up rainbows." Yakko said while making gagging sounds.

"It's not my fault that boys cant comprehend the beauty of love!" Dot said with an annoyed tone in her voice.

"Oh, please. I understand more about love then anyone." Yakko then winked at his sister.

"That is NOT what I meant!" Dot said angrily.

"Whatever. Lets just get home. I need to make sure that Wakko didn't burn the tower down." Yakko said, trying to change the subject.

Yakko's facial expression started to turn sour as he thought about Wakko. He had never really heard his siblings use bad language before, and it was even worse considering how innocently Wakko said it. 

"Innocently..." Yakko thought to himself. He knew Wakko didn't have bad intentions, he just thought he learned a cool new word. Yakko started to feel guilt towards punishing Wakko - it's not like he knew he was doing anything wrong.

"Hey, Dot, let's go buy something for Wakko. He didn't come with us to the movie, the least we can do is try to make him feel better." Yakko said as they were heading down the street.

"Why? I thought he was in trouble." Dot said with a confused look on her face.

"He is, but I feel kind of bad for it. He didn't know that what he did was wrong, so it wasn't really fair of me to punish him for it." Yakko explained.

"Can you plllleaaaassseeeee just tell me what he did?" Dot said while trying to put on her best cute face.

"He said bad words. That's all you're getting from me little sis!"

"Ugh, fine. So how exactly are you gonna make it up to him?"

"Easy. I'll just buy him some candy. That usually makes him feel better."

They began their walk to a convenience store that was only a block away from the studio. It was sort of run down and gross, but at least the candy there was cheap!

The hot sidewalk felt warm on his feet, and the glare from the sun was almost blinding.

Yakko and Dot tensed up once they noticed a group of men smoking in a group near the entrance to the store. Yakko was ready to grab his mallet, just incase.

Yakko gagged and coughed as smoke filled his lungs as he walked past the group of smokers. They laughed at him, then continued to talk.

Yakko and Dot entered the small, run down store. It smelled like window cleaner, and a few of the light bulbs were out, causing it to be dark in some areas of the store.

"Lets hurry up Dot, I don't like it in here" Exclaimed Yakko.

The sooner they got out of that store, the better.

"What should we get him?" Dot asked.

"Just about anything. I am yet to find a type of candy that Wakko does not enjoy." Said Yakko sarcastically.

"What about that?" Dot said while pointing to a large chocolate bar.

"Perfect." Yakko then took the candy bar and brought it up to the cashier.

"One dollar." The cashier mumbled tiredly.

Yakko then dug through his pocket until he finally came across some money. Pulling it out, he handed it to the cashier and then took the candy bar.

Yakko and Dot walked out, noticing that the group of smokers were no longer there. He looked down at where they were all smoking and saw six cigarette butts on the ground.

"Don't people know how to throw anything away?" Yakko muttered.

Yakko grabbed Dots hand and immediately began walking faster out of the area. The sooner he got home, the better.

XxxxxxxX

"Wakko! We're home!" Yakko yelled in the Tower.

No response.

"Come on, Wakko! We come bearing candy!" Yakko yelled again, this time with more enthusiasm.

Wakko still didn't respond.

"He's probably just sulking in his room." Dot explained.

"Ugh, you're probably right. Though I did think that the candy would have made him come out." Said Yakko with disappointment in his voice.

Yakko walked into Wakko's room and almost had a heart attack at what he saw... nothing.

"Dot! He's not in here!" Yakko said, panicked.

"What do you mean he's not here?!" Dot asked with almost as much panic.

"I mean, he is NOT IN HERE!"

"Where could he possibly be?!" Said Dot with worry in her voice.

"He probably just snuck out to go play or something." Yakko took a deep breath. 

"Dot, stay here. I don't want you to have to witness the amount of yelling and guilt that I am sure Wakko will bring upon me." Yakko said as he left the tower

"Ok. It's not like I was gonna help you find him anyway, I'm far too lazy for that." Dot said snidely to Yakko.

Yakko left the tower and immediately began his decent down the ladder. Once he hit the ground, he quickly began searching everywhere he thought Wakko would be.

He searched the cafe, the buffet, the gift shop, and every single set for all the movies currently being filmed. He searched everywhere.

"Hey Scratchy. Have you seen Wakko around?" Said Yakko as he was passing Dr Scratchnsniff.

"No. I have not seen ze Vakko anywhere." Replied Scratchy with his usual thick accent.

"How about you Bugs?"

"Nope, sorry Doc."

"Porky?!"

"N-no I h-haven't seen h-him anywhere".

"Foghorn?!"

"I saw- I say - I saw the boy going to get some ice cream from a passing truck, but didn't come back. I assumed he went somewhere with you"

Yakko's heart sank. Would he sneak off and leave the studio? No, he couldn't have. Wakko knows better than to leave the studio without someone with him. Yakko has told Wakko countless time that no matter what, he stays in the studio walls unless he is with him.

Yakko began to panic even more. If he wasn't anywhere in the studio, then that means something must have happened. Yakko started to hyperventilate as he continued to search.

He jumped as a hand was put on his back. He turned around to see Scratchy, standing right in front of him with a confused look on his face.

"Vhats wrong Vakko?" Said Scratchy with sympathy in his voice.

"Wakko... movie... punished... taken..." Was all Scratchy could understand from Yakko.

Yakko felt tears leak from his eyes as his anxiety sky-rocketed.

"Calm down, Vakko! I cant understand vhat you's are saying!" Said scratchy, sounding desperate to find out why Yakko was so upset.

Yakko managed to choke back sobs as he wiped his face of the wetness that was dampening his fur.

"Something happened to Wakko!"

Shocked at the words, scratch said "What happened?"

"I don't know!" Yakko cried. "He's missing! I searched everywhere and I cant find him!"

"Calm down Vakko. Vhere did you vast see him?" Scratchy said, attempting to calm the older boy.

"At the tower! We left him there while Dot and I went to a movie! Then I came back and he wasn't here!" Yakko said.

He began to cry again as he realized that he left on a bad note with Wakko. He had punished him for something he didn't even know was wrong. Wakko was sad and confused once he was told he had to stay home from the movie. Yakko remembers seeing him all excited to leave for the movie, and then sulking to his room once he told him that he couldn't go. Right now, Yakko felt like the worst older brother ever.

"Its ok Vakko, ve vill find him together." Scratchy said with as much sympathy as he could muster up.

Yakko nodded and was attempting to gain his composure. Guilt flooded his conscience as he continued his search alongside Scratchy. 

XxxxxxxX

Wakko groaned as he laid face down on the hard, metallic floor. He shifted his weight to his side as he laid in a rather uncomfortable position. He was asleep, but a violent bump and shake of the room woke him. His eyes widened as he remembered exactly what had happened.

"Hello? Anyone there?"

Wakko examined his surroundings. It was dark, but a small window was visible on the far side of the room. He could tell that he was moving. Panic set in as he realized he was in the back of a rather large vehicle.

He crawled over to the little window and he looked through, seeing two men, one driving and the other one sitting In the passenger seat, smoking a cigar.

Wakko jumped once one of the men spotted him.

Opening the little window between Wakko and the two men, the man on the passengers side said "Good morning, sleeping beauty, how was your nap?"

"W-where a-am I?" Wakko said, now terrified of his current location.

"You're in the back of a van, can't you tell?" Said the driver.

"W-what do you w-want from m-me?" Wakko asked. He began to cry.

"We're just doing our jobs kid. Now please do me a favor and knock yourself out so I don't have to hear you complain the rest of the way." Said the man with the cigar.

"Y-you'll never get a-away with this!" Wakko exclaimed. Wakko attempted to use his toon abilities to make a mallet appear In his hands, but he failed.

The two men began laughing.

"Ha! Look at your wrist kid. As long as that cuff is on, your powers cant do shit." The driver said.

Wakko looked at his wrist and saw a strange metal bracelet. It was silver with a blue line going through it. He held it up to his ear, and he heard a slight humming sound coming. from the bracelet.

Wakko began hitting his wrist against the side of the van. He kept hitting, and hitting, but the bracelet wouldn't come off. Sighing, he decided that he had to resort to more desperate measures.

"Help! Somebody help me! HELP!" Wakko began screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Ok, that's it." The driver then pulled over. He opened the glove compartment and got out a bag of powder. The two men got out of the car. Once they got to the back of the van, they opened up the double doors that were holding Wakko inside..

Wakko attempted to jump out, but was caught by the two men. He was held down on the ground, unable to move.

"Open your mouth!" The man with the cigar said.

Wakko held his mouth closed as tight as he possibly could, and then he shook his head no in defiance.

"Damn it, I said open it!" The man then smacked Wakko considerably hard on his face, causing a red mark to appear.

Wakko began to sob, wondering why in the heck these men were hurting him so much.

Wakko then desperately opened his mouth, hoping that they would stop hitting and yelling at him.

The man then shoved a disgusting tasting powder into his mouth, causing Wakko to gag on it. The man was holding his mouth shut, making it so Wakko couldn't spit it out.

"Swallow it, or I will show you what hell really feels like" Said the man with the cigar.

Wakko began crying hysterically once he swallowed the powder. His face was practically soaked from tears, and his shirt was starting to get stained. He was hyperventilating. He attempted to say something to the man, but nothing was able to come out of his mouth. His crying slowly dissipated, and he became drowsy. Without warning, he fell over into another slumber.

"Damn. What a bitch" The driver said.

"Whatever. Just throw him back into the van. This time though, tie his arms and legs up and put a gag ball in his mouth."

The driver nodded, and did as he was told. They both got back into the van and began driving away.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "XxxxxxxX" - This indicates a change in scene.
> 
> ***....*** - this indicates that a character is thinking.

Yakko sighed as he and Scratchy exited the convenience store. Once Yakko had calmed down, Scratchy had told Yakko that they would find Wakko together. After Foghorn had told them that he never came back into the studio, they assumed he ran off somewhere. They searched high and low, yet found no clue as to where Wakko was. They tried every store, every arcade, every theater, anywhere that they thought Wakko may have ran off to.

Before he and Scratchy went to look, he went back to the Tower and told Dot what happened. She was of course worried, but not quite as panicked as Yakko was. She told him that he was probably at the park or something. He calmed down a bit after hearing that, assuming that he would probably find him on the playground, then their lives could return to normal. He told her to stay in the studio just in case he came back without Yakko noticing. She doubtfully agreed, with only a few complaints.

Yakko felt his heart sink deeper into his stomach after each place they searched. They searched every corner of every place they went to, still finding no sign of Wakko. The convenience store was the final place that Wakko may have run off to. Once that was searched, Yakko gave up.

"Do you think he would run away?" Yakko asked as he tiredly plopped himself on a bench. Desperation was beginning to etch on his face.

"Of course not! He loves you Vakko!. Zat is ze last zing I vould expect him to do!" Said Scratchy, trying to bring Yakko's mood up.

"Then that means something happened to him! We have to call the police!" Yakko said, annoyance and fear in his voice.

Yakko had tried to call the police before, but Scratchy had told him that he was making a bigger deal of this than what was necessary, saying that he was just "At the playground" or "At the candy store".

"Ok Vakko, ve can call ze police." Scratchy said with the sound of defeat in his voice.

Scratchy dug around in his pocket, searching for his cellphone. He pulled his cellphone out and gave it to Yakko. Yakko snatched it from his hands and immediately began dialing the three digit number.

"911, what is your emergency?" The phone operator spoke.

Yakko almost froze. He'd never had to dial 911 before.

"We need the police! My brother is missing and I can't find him!" Yakko almost yelled. He was scared. He wanted the police to get there as soon as possible.

"Calm down, sir. What is your location?" The operator asked.

"Warner Brothers studio entrance." Yakko said to the operator. Fear and sadness had filled his voice. He felt like he wanted to cry.

But he wasn't going to. He needed to be tough, work this out and deal with it like the mature older brother that he is. Yakko mentally slapped himself for losing his cool earlier in the day. He was usually more level-headed.

"OK, sir. We will send a dispatch right away." Said the operator.

Yakko hung up the phone, and handed it back to Scratchy. Scratchy took the phone, then shoved it back into his pocket.

Even though they were at a convenience store, Yakko had told the operator that they were at the entrance to the Studio. He said that because he knew they were about to head back. After all, they were only one block away.

XxxxxxxX

*Ugh. What a horrible dream! Wait a minute..*

Wakko's eyes snapped open at the realization that his "dream" was a lot more real than he had hoped. As he sat up, his heart sank as he looked around. He realized where he was. He was still in the back of that car, with those two men in the front seat. It was different this time though. This time, he couldn't move or talk.

His hands and feet were tied together, and he had duct-tape over his mouth. He sat up and then struggled to break free, but it was all in vain.

Wakko laid back down, accepting the fact that there was no way to get out of this. He wasn't strong enough to break the ropes. He wasn't clever enough to figure out how to unlock the bracelet that restricted his toon powers. He wasn't charismatic enough to convince his captors to let him go. But worst of all, he wasn't smart enough to stay in the tower when Yakko wasn't home.

*This is all my fault...*

Wakko's heart was filled with not only fear, but sadness and desperation. He was terrified, but also guilty. He wanted nothing more than to go home and see his siblings.

*Yakko...*

Tears began forming in his eyes as he began thinking about his older brother. How worried he must be right now, or even worse, thinking that Wakko ran away from him. Wakko was angry and confused when Yakko punished him. It was a possibility that Yakko could think that he may have ran away.

Wakko began crying, desperately hoping that his brother did not think that he would run away. His cries were very muffled due to the tape on his mouth.

He hoped Yakko was looking for him. He needed someone to find him, because he wasn't gonna be able to get out of this one on his own.

*Where are they taking me? What are they going to do to me?*

Wakko's sadness was replaced with fear as he began to think about where he was being taken.

He had heard stories about people who hated toons. People who think that toons deserve nothing but misery, sadness, and hopelessness. People who think that toons were nothing but a bunch of objects made for their entertainment.

Just the other day Wakko had seen a news story about a gang of humans called the Toon Collectors, TC for short, that were extremely racist against toons. They were on the news due to a mugging of a local toon that lived in an apartment a few blocks away from the studio. Wakko had been scared when he saw that story, but he calmed down after finding out that the toon that was mugged had not been severely hurt.

TC had been around for a while, but they hadn't really done anything despite a few protests and minor vandalisms. They had never actually attacked anyone, until the mugging of that toon. It stirred quite a few people up, causing several toons to make sure they locked their doors at night. Even Yakko was kind of nervous, but he got over it once he told his siblings that "as long as we don't wander down any dark allies, then we will be fine."

Wakko attempted to smile at the memory of his brother, but the duct tape refused to let him. He began thinking about all the fun stuff he had done with his brother.

***"I can't do it Yakko! Its too high!" Wakko yelled from the top of a diving board, fear engraved on his face.

"Come one Wak! You can do it! People jump off it all the time and no one has ever gotten hurt! Also, I'm right down here to catch you once you land." Yakko said with his arms out, ready to pull his brother out from underneath the water.

Wakko jumped. He was completely silent on his way down. He hit the water with the speed of a bullet, and he hardly even made a splash.

Yakko grabbed Wakko from underneath the water. He pulled him up and held him so that he didn't sink.

"You did it! You did it Wakko!" Yakko exclaimed excitedly to his little brother, who was shaking in fear with his eyes closed tight.

Wakko slowly opened his eyes, realizing that Yakko had him.

"I... I guess I did. I did it! I finally did it!" Wakko excitedly yelled. Wakko became loose in his brothers arms once he realized that he no longer had to try and stay afloat.***

Wakko faintly laughed at the memory. The diving board was always a big fear of his. Yakko had done it, all his friends had done it, even Dot had done it, but Wakko had always been too scared.

Wakko wasn't the strongest swimmer. He was able to stay afloat, but he wasn't at all confident in the water.

He sighed, wishing he could re-live the memory. With the good memory still fresh in his mind, he closed his eyes in an attempt to fall asleep on good terms. He tossed and turned, wishing that he at least had a pillow to rest his head on.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> XxxxxxxX - This indicates a change in scene.
> 
> ***...*** - This indicates that a character is thinking/imagining.

Yakko shivered as a gust of cool wind rushed past his fur. It was getting dark out and it was always much chillier at night. He sat there staring into the distance, a blank expression on his face. He was completely lost in thought.

Sounds of traffic and construction filled his ears, while the sight of blue and red police lights filled his vision.

Yakko snapped out of his daydream when he realized that the police had arrived at the studio. The glimmer of the police lights shone upon the buildings around the studio, and upon the walls of the studio. There were only two police cars. One of them was the typical white and black, while the other was completely black with just the lights on the top of it.

Two regular police men came out of the white and black car, wearing the casual police uniform, while only one man came out of the black car.

It was a toon - a dog toon, to be exact. His fur was a very light blue, with a tiny shade of purple in it. His ears were long, black, and floppy. His hands were covered with very slick and clean white gloves. He was wearing long black pants, almost dress pants, and a plaid collared shirt.

Yakko turned to Scratchy, who was sitting right next to him, and nodded.

They both stood up as the dog toon approached them.

"The names Harold." The dog-toon said, with a very thick scouse accent. He stuck his hand out to Scratchy in an attempt to shake hands.

"Greetings. My name is Doctor Otto Scratchnsniff, and zis is Yakko Varner." Scratchy shook Harold's hand as he pointed to Yakko with his other. Yakko waved shyly.

"I'm going to assume that you two are wondering who I am, and that is why I am going to tell you!" Harold exclaimed excitedly.

Yakko and Scratchy gave each other a confused look.

"Well, I am a Private Investigator, P.I for short. I'm here to help you find your brother. I need to ask a few questions first, is that okay with you?" Harold asked.

"Ask away." Yakko said tiredly.

Harold looked over to Scratchy, giving him a look that said "we need privacy", Scratchy nodded, then walked away.

"Alright, so where did you last see your brother?" Harold asked curiously.

"He was in our Water Tower - that's where we live." Yakko explained.

Harold pulled out a plain black notepad and began writing in it.

"Alright. Was he left alone in the Water Tower?" Harold said with a concerned look on his face.

"Ummm, yes. Yes he was." Guilt took over Yakko's face as he answered the question.

"Alright. I'm gonna have to ask you to come back to the police station with me for further questioning." Harold said.

"What? Why?!" Yakko was concerned. Was he getting arrested for leaving Wakko alone in the tower?

"Don't worry boy, you're not in trouble. We just need to talk in a place that is more, well, private." Harold explained cautiously.

"What about my sister? What are we gonna do about her?" Yakko asked. Concern for the future was starting to become obvious by his facial expression.

"Don't worry, I have my men collecting her right now. I have some questions for her too." Harold said.

Yakko's ears perked up at the sound of his little sister. She was yelling, and was clearly unhappy.

"Let go of me you filthy slob! You have no idea who you're messing with! Are you even listening to me?!"

Yakko chuckled at the sight and sound of Dot yelling at the police man, who was currently carrying her out of the studio.

"How dare you! How DARE you carry me without my approval! I will end you! You have NO idea who you're messing with!" Dot yelled as the policeman put her on the ground.

"Save your threats, I'm just doing my job." The policeman said, annoyed.

Dots facial expression went from angry to childlike and innocent once she saw Yakko.

She ran across the pavement and wrapped her arms around Yakko. Yakko laughed, then returned the hug.

"What do these men want with us?" Dot asked, trying to put on her best cute voice.

"Save the act, Dot. They're just police, we're gonna go down to the police station so that they can ask us a few questions." Yakko explained.

"Like what? I don't want some strange man asking me a bunch of personal questions!" Dot yelled, annoyance etched in her voice.

"Calm down, darling. We're just gonna ask a few questions that will help us find your brother." Harold said, attempting to get Dot to be more reasonable.

Concern filled Dots' face as she was reminded of her brother. She didn't think that the police would have to be involved, she assumed that he'd just ran off to the park or something. Her heart dropped into her stomach as she began thinking about all the things that could have happened to him. Even though he was really annoying sometimes, he was still her brother nonetheless.

"Oh... OK..." Dot said, trying to keep herself together. Butterflies were flying in her stomach, and she felt like she wanted to throw up. She was incredibly nervous about the police asking her questions.

"So, when do we leave?" Yakko asked, trying to break the silence.

"Now. Hop in the back of my car and I'll take you to the station." Said Harold as he opened up the door to the car.

"What about Scratchy?" Yakko asked curiously.

"We don't have any questions for him, just you two. Now get in, we don't have all night!" Harold exclaimed as he held the door open for them.

Yakko hesitantly got in the car, followed by Dot. It was late, they were both tired, and the police station is probably the last place he wanted to be. But he wasn't about to refuse an order from the cops, and anything that would help him get Wakko back was okay with him!

They crawled into the back of Harold's car. It was cramped, uncomfortable, and full of junk. There were torn leather seats with stains on them. The floor of the car was covered with a few 'choice' magazines that Yakko had to cover with his foot, so that Dot wouldn't see them. There was what seemed like ketchup stains on the seats, and the roof of the car was dented and scratched.

"This car reminds me of that movie we went to see, beautifully disgusting." Yakko said to Dot. She snickered at the remark.

"Oh save it Yakko. If this car was ANYTHING like that movie, then we would probably be riding in a limo!" Dot retorted to Yakko, who was sitting with his arms crossed.

"A limo made out of trash." Yakko sarcastically said.

"Will you two keep it down?!" Harold yelled from the front seat of the car.

"Umm, sorry!" Yakko and Dot both giggled to each other. They were being quite loud, especially for being inside a car. Yakko gave himself a mental note to NEVER make fun of a movie that Dot liked.

"Uh, Yakko?" Dot called over to Yakko, who was looking out the window.

"Yes, sister sibling?" Yakko replied with a happier tone than what she had been hearing from him lately.

"He is gonna be okay, right?" Dots facial expression was that of concern and fear, with a slight bit of sadness in it. She was very worried.

Yakko's face went from happy to sad in almost an instant. He put his arm around Dot and said, "Of course he will. Harold is an investigator, he will help us find him. Just make sure you answer his questions truthfully. Everything will be alright, I promise."

"OK. What kind of questions is he gonna ask us?" Dot curiously asked.

"I wish I knew sister sib, I wish I knew." Yakko sighed. He wished he had the answer to her questions, but he honestly had no idea. He was just as scared as she was, if not more, but he had to stay strong. If not for her, then for himself. They weren't gonna ever find him if he just cried about it all day. No, he was gonna get through this. They were going to find their brother. He was going to be okay, everything was going to be okay.

What happens if he is not okay?

Yakko attempted to push the thought out of his head, but it was all in vain. The fear of failing to save his brother was like a dark cloud that was constantly hovering over his head.

Yakko was snapped out of his thoughts once the car stopped.

"Alright, we're here." Said Harold, as he unbuckled his seatbelt.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little dark, just a warning.

The slight breeze that was blowing through the barred off window, the pitter-patter of water dripping from a faucet, the sound of boots squishing through a deep mud puddle, the clunky sound of a door being unlocked...

Wakko's eyes snapped open. Panicked, he fell off the bed that he was laying on. He groaned, trying to regain his composure. He groggily looked at the wooden door that was across the room, and saw that the door knob was being turned.

When the natural instinct to protect himself kicked in, he slid himself underneath the bed. He curled himself into a ball, trying to get himself as small as possible. He clamped his eyes shut in hope that doing so would allow him to wake up from this horrible nightmare.

Wakko cringed at the squeak of the door being opened. He held his breath, hoping that whoever was entering would not see him.

The door was slammed shut. Someone was in the room, walking around. Whoever was in the room was breathing very heavily, like he just got done running a marathon. The sound of boots marching on stone echoed throughout the room. The man was clearly making more noise than he needed to.

"Well, I'm glad you finally woke up!" The man exclaimed. He sounded a little more childlike and friendly than Wakko thought he would, but that doesn't mean he was just about to give up his position underneath the bed.

"Oh no, I have no idea where you are! Oh well, you win! I guess I'll just leave the room now." The man sarcastically said. Wakko was no dummy. He has put up with more than enough sarcasm from Yakko to know when someone is lying to him.

"HA! Do you honestly think I don't know where you are? Wow, you toons are stupider than I though." The man almost fell over on the floor due to his laughing. Apparently, Wakko's ignorance was the funniest thing ever.

Although he probably knew that Wakko was underneath the bed, he wasn't gonna give up. Maybe the man was wrong on where he is, maybe he has no idea that he is underneath the bed.

"Alright, come on out now." The man said. His voice was calming and nice sounding, though Wakko knew it was all probably just a gimmick.

Wakko stayed underneath the bed. He hoped that if he didn't respond then maybe the man would leave him alone, or better yet, think he escaped.

"Look, I don't want to fight with you. Just come out and we can work this out in a more, umm, civilized manner."

Wakko wasn't budging. He clamped his eyes shut tighter, hoping that the man would just leave him alone. But sadly, the man wouldn't.

"Look, either you come out from under the bed RIGHT NOW, or I cut your tail off and turn it into a fancy knick-knack!" The man violently yelled.

So much for civilized...

Terrified by the latter, Wakko decided that he liked his tail and would like to keep it.

"Ok! I'll come out!" Wakko yelled, fear in his voice. His eyes were getting teary as he crawled his way out from underneath the bed.

"Whats the matter? You look like you have been kidnapped by a bunch of random people for reasons that are currently unknown." The man said sarcastically.

Wakko gave him a scared, but also confused look.

"Ha, don't worry kid. Nothing THAT bad is gonna happen. We just need you for a few, umm, tests, then you can go home!" The man putting an emphasis on 'tests'

"Really? You'll let me go home?" Wakko asked.

"Yeah, why not? However, it's not like your brother wants you back though. I saw how you cursed in from of him. How mad he was. He probably hates you. Infact, he is probably happy that you aren't there! You were an annoyance to him, just a real waste of space. He probably only took care of you because its required by law that he does so." The man cruelly explained.

Wakko's eyes began to fill with tears. Was it possible? This man knew a lot about him, which scared Wakko.

"Shut up! That's not true! He is probably looking for me right now!" Wakko yelled angrily.

"Oh, but it is true! You're a big sack of steaming shit. Everyone hates you. Trust me, we're probably doing a favor for Yakko by taking you off his hands." The man explained, monotone in his voice.

"Shut... up..." Wakko growled. Anger filled his voice. He was just about ready to snap.

"Pffft, what are you gonna do? Eat me? That seems to be the only thing you're good at." The man was relentless.

"Just... stop!" Tears were beginning to stream down his face.

"Aww, you're not gonna cry, are you?" The man asked with false concern.

"Please just... leave me alone." Wakko said, trying his best to hold back the tears.

"Aww, does the little baby want his bottle? I'm sorry, but we left that at the tower!" The man replied.

Wakko covered his face with his hands. Tears were streaming down his face, but his crying was silent. He was NOT about to give this man what he wanted.

"No one is looking for you Wakko. You're stuck here, you will NEVER get out. Yakko doesn't thinks you ran away, and he isn't even trying to find you. Are you listening?!" The man grabbed Wakko's arms and forced him to look at him directly in the eyes.

"I hope you enjoyed your time with Yakko, because you will NEVER see him again!" The man was almost screaming directly in his face.

Wakko couldn't hold it in anymore. He broke down, sobbing almost hysterically. Tears were soaking his fur, and he was hyperventilating. The man laughed, dropping him back on the ground.

"Goodboy. You see, life will be a little less painful if you just give me want I want." The mans voice went from yelling and angry, to calm and collected in almost an instant.

The man left the room, locking the door behind him. Wakko was still on the floor, crying silently. He regained his composure and pulled himself back into his bed. He laid his head on the pillow, and just laid there. He wasn't crying, sleeping, or anything, he was just laying there with a black expression on his face.


	6. Chapter 6

All the worry, stress, and anxiety had taken its toll on Yakko and Dot. They were both exhausted. Yakko was struggling to keep his eyes opened, and Dot had fallen asleep a few times also. They both wanted nothing more than to go home.

But they couldn't.

Not until the police said they could, anyway.

They have been at the police station for about two hours now, and it was already late when they arrived.

Harold and other police men have been asking a series of somewhat odd questions. Ranging from obvious ones like "When did you last see him?" to strange and almost stupid questions such as "What is his favorite food?"

The police were acting very strange. They even took samples of their fur, spit, and urine. The whole thing was rather bizzare.

They were almost acting as if Yakko and Dot were suspects.

Yakko jumped in his chair as he caught himself falling asleep. He looked to his right, seeing Dot asleep with her head on the armrests.

This is stupid.

Yakko was getting frustrated. It was passed midnight, and there was no sign of Harold anywhere. They have been waiting for thirty minutes!

Yakko stood up with the intent to find Harold and give him a piece of his mind.

"And where do you think you're going?"

Yakko instantly recognized the voice as Harold's, due to his thick accent.

"Looking for you! You have kept us waiting here for thirty minutes now. We're tired, we want to go home!" Yakko said, annoyance in his voice.

"Very well. I can drive you, would you like that?" Harold replied as if nothing happened.

"Wait... what? You're just gonna let us leave?" Yakko asked. They have kept them here for hours, and they are just gonna let them leave like that?

Harold chuckled. "Of course! You're not under arrest, all you had to do was ask!." Harold explained.

"Yes! We want to go home!" Yakko almost yelled. "All he had to do was ask?!"

"Ok. Well, you're free to go! I'll drive you. Its a very long and dark walk from here."

"Yes... please..." Yakko said shyly. He was exhausted, and the last thing he wanted to do was walk for ten miles, especially at one in the morning, even if it meant another ride in Harold's cluttered and disgusting car.

"Alright boy. Go get your sister, we'll leave as soon as you're ready."

Yakko took one glance at Dot, and realized that trying to wake her up would be a suicide mission.

He walked over, picked her up, and made his way to the door.

The parking lot was considerably empty, despite a few cop cars. Yakko and Dot were the only ones in the waiting room, and the cop cars seemed to be the only things occupying the parking lot.

Harold opened the car door for them. Dot woke up just enough to crawl into her seat, but was almost instantly asleep again once she sat down.

Yakko chuckled at his sister. Her sleeping position wasn't exactly cute.

Yakko wanted to get some sleep, but the car was far too uncomfortable. Besides, the studio was only ten minutes away.

The car ride was mostly uneventful, with the exception of Harold rolling the window down so that he could shout a few nasty words to a driver that cut him off.

Harold was driving like a mad man. He was making sharp turns at high speeds, going way past the speed limit, and almost getting into accidents.

Yakko was starting to get worried. He hated being in a car with a deranged driver, and his worry was clearly being shown on his face.

"Hey, kid. Hold on to the O.S. Bar." Harold said, pointing to a handle bar the was protruding from the ceiling of the car.

"O.S. Bar?" Yakko asked curiously as he tightened his grip.

"Oh shit bar." Harold laughed.

"Hello?! Kids!" Yakko exlaimed, with a very slight hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Ah don't worry, she's sleeping."

Yakko rested his head against the head rest, attempting to find peace in this god-awful drive. He held on to the "O.S." bar with incredible strength, and had no intentions of letting go.

"You worry too much. You just need to relax." Harold said, calmly.

"How can I relax?! My brother has been taken to 'Who knows where' by 'God knows who', my little sister has probably died from sleep deprevation, and now my life is flashing before my eyes because of your horrendous driving!" Yakko yelled.

"We'll find your brother, Yakko. I promise you that." Harold sounded sincere. "Those questions we asked aren't for nothing. Every second that goes by, we get one step closer to finding him."

Yakko relaxed a little bit. Despite Harold being a little crazy, he obviously knew what he doing.

"Alright, we're here." Harold said.

The car jolted as it came to a sudden stop. He looked out the window, and saw the water tower in the distance.

Finally...

Harold opened the door for them. Dot managed to wake herself up just enough to crawl out of the car, followed by Yakko.

Yakko looked back and waved to Harold. He gave a very friendly smile, and waved back.

The climb up the tower was brutal, especially since Dot made Yakko carry her. It seemed to never end.

The feeling Yakko felt when he was at the top was one of the greatest feelings he would feel for quite awhile. He carried Dot to her bed, giving her a hug before he put her under the covers. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow. Yakko lazily walked over to his bed, and plopped himself sluggishly as soon as the mattress was in reach.

He thought that he would be asleep instantly, but that sadly wasn't the case.

Despite being extremely tired, he simply could not sleep. So many thoughts rushed through his mind. Concern for Wakko, concern for Dot, heck, even concern for Harold.

This had been one of the worst days of his life. Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. Now, all he wanted was sleep, was that too much to ask for?

He glanced over to Wakko's bed, hoping to see him in it. He hoped this was all some sort of bad dream, or some sick joke. He hoped that Wakko would just walk in, laughing and saying how good he got him. Of course, Yakko would be furious if that happened, but it's a lot better than all of this being real.

Giving up on sleep, Yakko decided to go get himself a glass of milk.

He crawled out of bed and made his way to the kitchen, leaving a majority of the lights off so that he didn't wake up Dot. It's not like it mattered though, Dot slept like the dead.

He opened the fridge and felt an overwhelming sense of sadness - seeing all the extra food they bought for Wakko made him feel even worse.

He started to pour the milk into a glass, when he heard what sounded like a camera zooming in.

He stopped pouring and looked around.

"Umm, hello?" Yakko quietly asked. Chills ran down his spine as nothing but eerie silence filled the room.

Yakko jumped as the same mechanical sound seemed to echo throughout the room.

"W-whose there?" Yakko fearfully asked.

Dead silence was the only response Yakko got.

With fear starting to take over, he made a dash to the lightswitch.

He tried to turn on the lights, but it was no use. The power was out.

"AHHH!" Yakko screamed as he felt something touch his leg.

"Calm down Yakko! It's just me!" Dot said innocently as she began to chuckle.

"Oh thank GOD!" Yakko sighed in relief as all the fear left his body.

"Come on Yakko, the power is out, lets go back to bed." Dot said, sounding more mature than usual.

"You're right sis, I just need some sleep."

Yakko heard the mechanical sound again, but decided to ignore it as he assumed it was just a figment of his imagination.

He followed Dot back to his bedroom, completely forgetting about the glass of milk he poured himself. He plopped back onto his bed, but this time he managed to get himself to fall asleep.

He curled up to a large pillow, and fell into a deep sleep. The fear was wiped off his face, and the tension was released from his body. He was finally asleep. All his problems seemed to vanish. He could finally rest.

"Goodnight Yakko"


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I figured out how to format and make bold/italics. From here on, thoughts will be in italics. Sorry for the confusion, I've never really used AO3.

Wakko laid curled up on the bed, his eyes brimming and face blank as he stared at the wall. It felt like hours had passed, but sleep was impossible. The words of his captor kept ringing through his mind with sickening clarity. What was going to happen to him? Was he really never going to see his family again?

 _They'll be looking for me_ , he thought, ordering himself to believe it. They will. They have to.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps reached his ears, then the clicking of a door unlocking. His heart pounding, Wakko scrambled upright and moved back as far as he could. He tried his best to put on a brave face as the door swung open to reveal the man who had last talked to him. He looked at him with a mocking smirk.

"So you finally decided to quit bawling?" He snorted, the humor leaving his face. "We'll see how long that lasts. Get up, you got a little appointment."

Wakko felt a chill run down his spine; he was pretty sure this wouldn't be like an appointment with Scratchy.

"W-what d' you mean?"

The man stormed up and grabbed his arm, yanking him off the bed.

"None of your business," he growled. "And unless you wanna make things a lot harder, you'll keep your mouth shut."

Wakko gasped as his hands were twisted behind his back and bound tightly, then the man gave him a hard shove. Wakko stumbled, barely keeping his balance. His body was stiff due to the lack of sleep.

"Move," the man ordered coldly. "And don't think of tryin' anything."

As much as Wakko didn't want to, without his toon powers he had no choice but to obey. He walked along the cold and dirty ground, doing exactly what the man told him to do; trying to struggle would only make his life worse. He'd never wished for his mallet as much as he did right now.

Wakko stepped out the door to his cell, shivering as a small breeze chilled his fur. The musty smell almost instantly vanished. The dampness on the floor was gone, and everything seemed a little bit cleaner. He took a deep breath, letting the fresh air fill his lungs. They were still indoors, but it almost felt like they were outside.

The outside of the cell was almost as boring as the inside. Everything was made of stone and concrete, and had a very plain look to it. There was nothing in front of him. They could only walk right or left.

Wakko looked to the left, seeing nothing but more cells and concrete. He looked to his right and saw the same thing.

 _How big is this place? How many other people have they taken?_ Wakko thought to himself, worried. The place was huge, and there were obviously more people there than just him. His fear grew at that thought.

This place is huge, and no one's found it yet.

"It's pretty big, eh?" the guard asked.

Wakko quickly put his brave face back on. He wasn't gonna give this guy any satisfaction whatsoever.

"Y-yeah. It is big." he mumbled. His voice was so quiet that the guard could barely hear it. He scoffed.

"Ha, well, you haven't seen anything yet."

The fear flared up again. Where was he? What did they want with him? Most of all, who were 'They'?

Wakko groaned as the guard pushed him to the left. He tried to look through the barred window on each cell, but it was no use… he was far too short. For a second he considered asking questions, but that was quickly ruled out as a bad idea. Being so far without a means to defend himself, making these people mad definitely wouldn't go well. Besides, he had a bad feeling he'd find out pretty soon.

His thoughts returned to his siblings and a lump rose in his throat, but he did his best not to let the sadness reach his face. If he'd just stayed in the tower like he was supposed to, he'd be with them right now and everything would be fine.

Why was I so stupid? Why didn't I just listen?

"Hmm, I don't recall saying it was 'okay' to stand there and doze off into space while I'm trying to take you somewhere." The guard spat, snapping Wakko out of his thoughts.

Wakko sighed. Stalling probably wasn't a good idea. He was gonna have to go to this "Appointment" sooner or later, he might as well get it over with.

He continued walking, with the guard closely eyeing him.

"Stop," he suddenly said.

He pulled a line of keys out of his pocket. The clanking sound of the metallic keys broke the almost dead-silence that had filled the hall. Wakko eyed the keys. He could do a lot of things with those, escape being one of them.

"What're you doing?" he asked. The guard's cold response made his eyes widen.

"You're not the only new kid."

What?

The middle Warner looked around at the other cells, his mind racing. They'd taken other kids too? He thought back, wondering if they might have done it while he was out cold in the van. Then an even more disturbing thought came. Could there be more kidnappers out there? This place was huge… most likely there were a lot of people working here.

If this is that TC group, it's way bigger than people thought.

The jangling keys interrupted his thoughts as the guard fingered through them and selected one. He shot Wakko a threatening glare.

"Don't get any ideas about runnin', got it? There's eyes all over this place."

Wakko looked around, attempting to spot any cameras or any other sign of life.

Nothing. Himself and the guard seemed to be the only thing with a pulse in the entire area. Wakko was curious. With the supposed "Eyes" that were watching them, how come he couldn't see anything?

With the guards back turned to him, Wakko took some time to notice some things about him.

The guard looked to be considerably young in age, probably not even out of his teen years. Even though he was fairly buff, he was still rather small. Not anywhere near as small as Wakko, of course. He didn't have any facial hair, he was somewhat pale-skinned, and his hair was a little bit longer than most. He was a human, of course. He'd figured that out a while ago.

"Holy shit this damn key isn't working!" The guard yelled, becoming more and more agitated as he continued to attempt to open the door.

Wakko chuckled silently.

_He's not too smart, either._

The guard shot a glare at him, but Wakko just looked back with a completely neutral expression. Even without his mallet, he knew ways to irritate people without getting in trouble.

Letting out an annoyed growl, the guard went back to the keys.

"Damn toons," he muttered. "Nothin' but trouble."

Wakko glared at his back.

_Oh yeah? Who snatched who off the street here?_

Finally the key turned, unlocking the door.

The guard hastily marched into the room. Wakko decided to stand back, deciding that the guard probably didn't want him to get in the way.

Wakko's ears perked up as he attempted to hear what was going on inside the cell. He couldn't hear much, just some quiet movement sounds.

Wakko's eyes widened as he saw a young boy getting dragged by the collar of his shirt. He looked very young, couldn't be any older than seven.

He felt bad for him. He was obviously crying, due to the stream of dried tears going down his face. Wakko was a few years older and he was terrified, he can only imagine how someone as young as him must feel.

Once he escaped, he was gonna make sure each and every one of whoever was involved in this would spend the rest of their life behind bars.

The boy looked at him, and the fearful expression was replaced with surprise. He started to say something but the guard interrupted.

"No talking!"

The little boy began trembling, a few more tears escaping his eyes. Resisting the urge to do something painful to the guard, Wakko managed to give the younger boy a reassuring smile before he was shoved forward again.

"Now move, I don't got all day."

Wakko walked with his head down. Looking at the scared child next to him would only reminded him of himself. He felt helpless and utterly alone, and seeing how huge this place was lowered his expectation for rescue. If people have been getting kidnapped for a while now, then they should have been found by now. His only hope rested in his own hands.

He has to escape. He's going to. Maybe not now. Maybe not for a while. But he will.


	8. Chapter 8

Dot couldn't help but notice how quiet the tower was as the woke up. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and glanced at the nearby bed. She couldn't resist feeling the slightest hope that her missing brother might be there, and everything that happened yesterday was just a bad dream.

But it was just as empty as it was when she'd gone to sleep.

Guess life just isn't that nice.

She rolled over to see if Yakko was still sleeping. She sighed, noticing that he wasn't in his bed. He probably didn't get much sleep. How would anyone be able to sleep knowing that their little brother was missing?

Dot rested her head back on her pillow, letting out a deep sigh. Worried as she was about Wakko, she was concerned for Yakko too. Herself and Wakko were the reasons he lived, and losing one of them would be like losing part of himself. She felt the same way about her brothers.

Not for the first time, the bitter question came to her mind of why this happened. Wakko might be a pain sometimes, but he didn't deserve anything like this. And no one should have to go through the ordeal of having a family member kidnapped, much less a child.

Heaving a sigh, Dot kicked off the covers and hopped out of bed. Not getting up wouldn't change anything. When she walked into the kitchen, she found her oldest brother already at the table, starring at a piece of toast on the plate in front of him. He looked up, giving her a smile. It was tired, and obviously forced, but it was a smile nonetheless.

"Morning, sis."

She flashed him a weak smile.

"There's some cereal in the cabinet." Yakko said.

Dot gave a halfhearted "Thanks" in response.

She wanted to be strong for her brother. As much as she wanted to be a baby and burst into tears, she had to be tough for the sake of Yakko's sanity. He didn't need another person to worry about.

As she poured her cereal, she glanced up at Yakko.

He looked depressed, far too depressed for her liking. All the life and energy seemed to be sucked out of him. His face was pale, and he had bags under his eyes from the lack of sleep. Even his fur wasn't as shiny as usual. It wasn't dirty, but it looked like it wasn't treated well.

"Dot."

She began thinking about last night. Why did he freak out when she touched his leg in the kitchen?

"Dot."

Why did it sound like he was talking to someone? Was he going crazy?

"Dot!"

"What?!" Dot yelled as she was snapped out of her daydream.

"You're pouring cereal everywhere."

Dot looked down, and saw that the cereal had overflowed out of the bowl and was pouring all over the counter and the floor. She quickly stopped pouring.

"Oops."

Yakko looked at her, then chuckled. Dot couldn't help smiling. It had nowhere near as much energy as usual, but it was good to hear some laughter. It didn't last long, though.

"Well, guess we're gonna have to clean that up."

Both their faces fell as they thought about their missing brother, normally the go-to guy for this kind of thing. Dot bit her lip in frustration. It felt so pointless to just sit here, wondering what awful things might be happening to him or if he would ever even come back.

Still, what else was there to do? It wasn't as if they knew anything about where to look or what to do.

She knew the police were trying their best to track him down, but it was still frustrating to be so helpless. She wished she knew where to look, what to do, who to talk to, anything really. Anything that would get them closer to finding him would be amazing.

But sadly, there wasn't anything to do. She could hope, but hoping wouldn't help them. All she could do was sit there, praying to whatever God is out there that he is okay.

"So, did you manage to get any sleep last night?" Dot asked, breaking the silence. Yakko shrugged as he continued to help Dot clean up the spilled cereal.

"Ehh, I got a little bit. You don't have to worry about that though."

Dot rolled her eyes.

_Right. I just have to wait till' you pass out and THEN I can be worried._

But she resisted the urge to say it out loud; Yakko was too stubborn to listen to her anyway.

"What about you?" he asked, glancing up at her with slight concern. She stifled a yawn and shrugged.

"Some."

To be honest, she didn't get much sleep either. It didn't matter though, she could just take a nap if she got too tired.

"Are you okay, Yakko?" Dot asked, concerned.

"I'm fine. Like I said, you don't need to worry about me." Yakko calmly replied. A sudden surge of frustration filled the Warner sister, and she couldn't stop herself from snapping back.

"Yes, I do! I need to make sure you're okay! You're all I have left now that Wakko's gone!"

Her brother's head snapped up, and the fierce look on his face matched his tone.

"He's not gone! We're gonna find him!"

"How do you know?!" Dot demanded, her voice rising.

"Because I just do!" He was trying to sound confident, but sadness and desperation still crept its way into his tone.

"No, you don't!" Dot snapped. "We could never see him again!"

Yakko clenched his fists.

"Stop saying that! Okay? I don't wanna hear it!"

Dot felt tears filling her eyes as she stomped her foot.

"I can't handle it, Yakko! I don't want him to be gone forever! We have to find him now before it's too late!"

Her words became choked and soon she was sobbing, trying hard not to lose it completely. Yakko quickly pulled her into a tight hug, rubbing her back in slow circles.

"Don't you think I know that?" he said, his voice tight. "I wanna find him too, but we got nothing to go on. I don't know what else to do."

After a few more moments, Dot finally started to calm down. Sniffling, she wiped her eyes and hugged her brother back.

"I-I'm sorry I yelled."

"It's okay… but we've gotta be strong, Dot. We can't find him if we're too busy throwing ourselves a pity party."

Dot nodded, understanding, but her desperation for progress refused to leave.

"Isn't there any way we can help?"

*KNOCK*

Yakko and Dot jumped at the sound of banging on the tower's door. They looked at each other, concerned… it was awfully early for someone to be visiting.

Yakko walked up to the door and cautiously looked through the tiny peep hole. Concern turned to surprise when he saw it was Harold who was at the door. He swung the door open and gave him a slight glare.

"Don't you think it's a little early to be interrogating us?"

"We might have a lead on your brother."

Yakko's face went from annoyed to complete shock. Could this be it? Could they have found the location of his missing brother?

"I need you two to come to the police station with me. We need to talk about this."

Yakko nodded, then turned and hurried back to the kitchen.

"C'mon Dot, we gotta go!"

His sister blinked, frowning.

"What? Where? Who were you talking to?"

"Harold," Yakko replied. "He said they might have some clues where Wakko is!"

As soon as she heard that, Dot immediately ran to the front door. Yakko didn't take long to catch up and soon they were both outside. Neither could resist cringing at the sight of Harold's car parked below, but if it would get their brother back they'd go through as many of that ordeal as they needed to.

"So what's this lead?" Yakko demanded. "Do ya know where he is?"

"Well... Not exactly. However, we have found a few things you might be interested in seeing..."


	9. Chapter 9

The concrete halls seemed to go on forever, and it was making it really hard for Wakko to keep his courage up. Not just because he had no intention of giving the guard any satisfaction, but because of the younger human child being forced along beside him. Under the echoing footsteps, he could hear the little boy sniffling. Even if Wakko feared what might be waiting for them, he could at least try not to scare him more.

His thoughts kept swirling with questions, especially that of who these people were. He'd been pretty sure it was the TC, but now he wasn't so sure. If there was one human here, odds were there are others, and what kind of toon hating agency went after humans too? Not to mention ones who were just kids.

Of course, it wasn't a guarantee everyone who worked here didn't have one or two loose screws rolling around upstairs.

"Watch it, Bub!" The Guard spat.

Wakko picked up the pace. He was trying to have a look around, examine his surrounding, plan an escape...

Wakko sighed. There were no windows, no crawl spaces, nothing that he could escape out of. He couldn't even find a door or any exit at all.

He thought about making a run for it, but with no idea where he would go, he figured it would only make his life even worse. The last thing he needed was to upset the guard and get himself and possibly the other boy in trouble.

Wakko gritted his teeth as he flexed his tied hands; if he just had his toon powers, he would be able to break free with no trouble. That was his biggest problem. For toons, almost every physical ability came from their powers. Without them they were vulnerable and easily controlled.

Wakko glanced behind him at the bracelet that was restricting his powers, cursing it in his mind. The first thing he would have to do to escape would be to get the bracelet off.

But that wouldn't be as easy as it sounded. The bracelet was metal, and he couldn't just break it off. The only way was to somehow unlock it. It would be a challenge, but he might be able to trick someone into telling him how…

"Here we are."

The guard's gruff voice broke into his thoughts.

There sat a large wooden door, with patterns cut out of the wood. The guard approached it, cautiously turning the golden knob.

The door screeched as it push its way open, revealing the rather large room that was hidden behind it.

The room was big, but not huge. It was rather decorative, with paintings hanging on the walls and a fancy looking carpet that was sprawled out across the majority of the room.

In the center of a room was small round table, with three men sitting around it. It appeared they were playing a certain card game.

Wakko could hear mumbling between the three men. They were too quiet for him to make out any of what they were saying. None of them seemed to have noticed Wakko and his fellow prisoner entering the room.

"Umm, I believe you asked to see them?" Said the guard, capturing the mens attention.

"Ahh, of course!" Excitedly said one of the men. The man jumped up from his chair, abandoning his game of cards. The other men did not take any interest in speaking to Wakko or the boy.

"Finally. Wakko Warner! It's a pleasure to meet you! I would shake your hand, but, well, that probably isn't a good idea."

Wakko gave him a confused look. He'd never seen any of these people in his life, but still this guy knew his name and who knew what else. How could they have figured this stuff out? Were they spying somehow?

_The show, of course!_

Wakko mentally slapped himself for not thinking of that. He was a mini celebrity after all.

"I can't really shake hands anyway, mister," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

To his surprise, the man burst out laughing. "Of course! I apologize for that, young lad. Let me get these blasted cuffs off of you two."

Wakko eyed the key that was pulled from the man's pocket, wishing he could just take it without getting caught. He sighed with relief as the tight handcuffs were stripped from his wrists. He looked down at them, noticing red marks from where the cuffs left an indentation.

Wakko glanced at the other boy that was next to him. He seemed to have calmed down, though he wasn't exactly smiling.

"Wakko, have you met Jarod Williams?" Said the man.

Wakko shook his head.

"My boy, Jarod is the young fellow next to you! He's all the way from Florida!"

_What?!_

Wakko grew even more alarmed. This boy was from across the entire country. Why would they take people form across the country? He forced himself to keep a straight face; even if these people weren't acting nasty, he didn't trust any one of them.

"Why're we here?" he asked, only a slight catch in his voice. "What do you want?"

The man chuckled again, flicking a dismissive hand in the air.

"Now, no need for concern. Your questions will be answered soon enough."

Wakko clenched his fists, barely resisting the urge to snap back that he wanted them answered now. He didn't have his mallet to convince them. Beside him, Jarod spoke up in a trembling voice.

"Wh-when can we g-go home?"

"Do not worry, my young boy. Your time here won't be as unpleasant as I am sure you believe."

Wakko was uneasy; for people who had snatched him off the street, made him cry and almost believe that his family didn't care about him, they were being awfully nice.

"Oh, how rude of me! I haven't introduced myself! You can call me Jenkins. I am the overseer for this whole project. I make the majority of the decisions."

Wakko frowned.

"What decisions?" he asked slowly.

Jenkins glanced at him, and his look changed. It wasn't much, but it was enough to make him shiver.

"Oh, nothing to concern you."

As fast as it came, the weird look was gone.

"Now then, I think it's time you learned a little about our facility. Follow me."

With that, Jenkins marched out the door.

Wakko looked around. The two other men had continued their card game, seemingly forgetting that they were still standing there. Jarod wasn't crying anymore and he looked more at ease, even if a bit melancholy.

Wakko felt a little bit better himself. He was still scared, but felt a little more at ease now that he'd seen a little more. He was already formulating ideas of how to get out of here, though none were getting very far yet.

The door slammed back open. "Come on!" Jenkins yelled.

"Oh shit, sorry boss." The young guard said, as he slipped his cellphone back into his pocket.

Not wanting to risk making anyone mad, Wakko hurried toward the door. He glanced behind him to see Jarod scurrying close behind. Hoping to encourage him, Wakko gave him a quick smile before turning back toward the doorway. The more he saw, the easier it would be to figure out how to escape, and the sooner he could do it.


	10. Chapter 10

Wakko was starting to get irritated. They'd been walking for what felt like an hour, and they'd seen nothing but more cells and a few guard stations. Jenkins hadn't said anything, there was no sign of any cameras, and the guard kept him from slowing down long enough to get a closer look at anything. His mallet urge was really itching.

Finally, they turned into a corridor leading down to a heavy looking metal door flanked by guard stations on either side. The men inside, wearing the same military style uniforms as the guard, stood inside the booths. Jenkins sighed and made an impatient wave with his hand. One of the men turned and punched some buttons on a panel. There was a loud clanking sound, then an electronic voice chimed through the air.

"Door opening. All subjects stand clear."

The metal door slowly slid open, and Jenkins strode forward. Wakko hesitated, eying the cold-eyed guards uneasily as Jarod slid closer to him. The guard behind them grumbled, but Jenkins turned before he could say anything.

"Well, come along," he said lightly. "No use just standing around."

A cold gust of air chilled Wakko's fur as he entered through the arched metal door. He boldly, yet carefully marched his way through, with Jarod keeping closely behind him.

Wakko's jaw almost dropped when he saw what was behind the large metal door.

He stood before a gigantic dome-shaped room, with vaulted ceilings that had a sun roof. Large tables with long benches for seats were spread throughout the room. The light from the moon beamed through the transparent roof, slightly illuminating the area. It was dark, Wakko couldn't see every detail, but he could see enough.

This place was gigantic. It looked as if this roomed could hold hundreds of kids.

"Pretty neat, eh?" Jenkins smirked.

Wakko didn't respond, but instead give him a nod.

"This is where you will spend a majority of your day. Here you will eat, socialize with the other children, etcetera."

Wakko started thinking. Was this some sort of prison? Did he do some kind of heinous crime that he wasn't aware of? Was this all some kind of punishment? What about Jarod? How could a kid that young possibly commit a crime?

No… he didn't commit any crime. But he was put in here for a reason, a reason that he was yet to figure out. What could it be? Why would a huge organization like this want anything to do with Wakko?

Suddenly he realized that Jenkins was talking. Shaking his head, he focused.

"…specific times for meals and such, but it shouldn't take you long to get the hang of things."

Jenkins turned and crossed his arms, giving them a slight smile.

"I know this must be confusing right now, but don't worry. You'll learn more about what we do here in time."

Wakko glanced at Jarod, who looked just as confused as he felt. Gathering his nerve, he took a deep breath.

"But… w-why can't we know now?"

Jenkins glanced at him and flicked a dismissive hand.

"Oh, it's far too complicated to explain right now. It's quite late, and I'm sure you're tired. Perhaps it is time for you to head back to your cell."

"Wait! Can't you just tell us why we're here?!" Wakko exclaimed angrily.

The guard yanked the collar of his shirt, making him gasp. Jenkins frowned, his tone suddenly cold and stern.

"Listen, boy, if you ever want to get home and see your family again, then I suggest you obey."

Frightened now, Wakko nodded, blinking back tears. Jenkins' frown disappeared.

"Good. There is no need for any of that. I would hate to have to punish you."

Wakko shuddered as he wondered what kind of cruel and unusual punishments this place had. Jenkins turned to the guard.

"Escort these two back. I think we're finished here."

The guard straightened and nodded.

"Right away, boss." He gave both boys a push forward. "C'mon, let's move it."

Wakko obeyed right away, Jarod following close beside him. Confused and scared, it was getting harder to focus on forming a plan of escape. Hopefully he could figure out a way soon. He kept his eyes down as they walked back the way they came, not even daring to glance off to the side. Only when they reached Jarod's cell did he look up. Seeing the younger boy's scared look, Wakko gave him a little smile. Jarod tremulously returned it just before the guard pushed him inside and locked the door. He turned back to Wakko, glaring.

"Move it."

Again, there was nothing to do but obey. Cursing his helplessness for the umpteenth time, Wakko moved down the hall, walking as quickly as he could to avoid being pushed. Finally they reached his cell and he hurried inside as soon as the guard unlocked the door.

"Hmm," the man chuckled. "Guess you're not so stupid after all."

The door clanged shut, then there was a clicking sound as it locked. When the footsteps faded, Wakko felt all the fear he'd been suppressing surge back. Climbing onto his bunk, he curled into a ball and shuddered with muffled sobs as tears streamed down his face.

_What's going to happen to me?_

Finally, all his terror and weariness caught up with him. Still whimpering, he fell into an exhausted sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

The ride to the police station was a wild one, but it wasn't hard for Yakko and Dot to make it through by reminding themselves there was a chance they might see their brother again. It was bustling inside, with people rushing back and forth and their loud voices overlapping with each other. Harold quickly led them into a quieter room with a small TV.

"So, what's going on?" Dot demanded, tapping her foot impatiently. "Do you have a lead or not?"

Harold turned and nodded, but his face was tense.

"The police received a security tape last night. It was from a recently installed camera, and that's probably the only reason we caught it. The camera picked up an abduction of three different toons. The suspects wore masks, but we can tell they were all human. The van they used had no plates, but after we put out an alert there were a few reports of where it went and we're tracking it now. It looks like it may be that toon-hating group, the 'Toon collectors' T.C. for short"

Yakko gulped. If T.C. was involved, then things were much worse than he originally thought. T.C. had a tendency to get very violent, and they were capable of almost anything.

Knots began to form in his stomach. The thought of Wakko being hurt or even killed was almost too terrible to imagine. Life without one of his siblings seemed impossible.

But he had to be strong. Not only for his own sanity, but for Dot's too. Being brave was the only thing that would help them get closer to finding their brother.

"You okay, kid?"

Yakko snapped out of his daydream.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry, we're just really worried about him."

Even if he wasn't going to cry about it, he certainly wasn't gonna bother pretending like he wasn't worried. Harold nodded, an understanding look on his face.

"Don't worry, Yakko. We're sending a S.W.A.T. team to the location as soon as possible."

Yakko had no doubt Dot's stunned look matched his.

"No offense Harold, but isn't S.W.A.T. a little much?" he asked. Harold shook his head.

"There is more at stake than just your brother. Several toons have been kidnapped around the area, and we could save lots of lives if we move now. T.C. is violent and not known to surrender easily. There will be fighting."

Both Yakko and Dot's mood seemed to instantly drop from bad to worse. If Wakko was found, there was no telling what state he'd be in.

Harold sighed. "Look, I know you're both worried, but our S.W.A.T. team and our investigators, including me, are highly trained. If anyone can find him, it would be us."

Dot sniffled back tears as Yakko put his arm around her.

"But… but what if he's hurt?" she whimpered. Harold looked down at her and his grim look softened.

"If he is, I will personally see to it that he gets whatever care he needs." A slight smile touched his face. "Believe it or not, I'm actually a big fan of your show."

Yakko blinked; he wondered how many more surprises they'd get before all this was over.

"We'll be leaving soon," Harold continued. "And I think it's best that you two stay here where it's safe."

Yakko nodded his head. Even though he and Dot were top notch with mallets and anvils, he doubted they could put up much of a fight against a gang wielding guns with dip-covered bullets.

"Okay…"

"The team knows what they're doing," Harold assured. "If your brother is there, we'll find him."

Yakko knew it was supposed to be encouraging, but the words sent a slight chill down his back.

What if he's not?

He tried to push the thought out; thinking negative wasn't going to help anyone right now.

"I've arranged for an officer to drive you two home." Harold said. "Just make sure to stay inside until someone calls."

Yakko hesitated, then sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, that'd be good. Thanks, Harold."

Even though the day was far from over, he already felt as exhausted as he could get. Getting some rest could do wonders for his and Dot's wellbeing. His sister frowned up at him.

"But we should stay here, shouldn't we?" she demanded. "For when they come back, so…"

Harold shook his head.

"Anyone rescued will be going straight to the hospital anyway. You'll be notified as soon as the raid is over, I promise."

Dot glared at him for a minute, then let out a soft huff.

"Fine."

"Alright, there is an officer waiting for you in the parking lot. Go get some rest, it will do you two wonders."

Yakko nodded, and took Dot's hand as they stood up.

Yakko already memorized where everything in the station was. He was good at that, memorizing things. His memory was always good.

_My memories of Wakko might be all i'll have left..._

Yakko shuddered. He tried his best to be optimistic, but it was difficult sometimes. He's always been the happy go-lucky kid with no real problems, or at least no real problems that anyone knew about.

He wasn't always as happy as he tried to make himself look. He had his issues. Hell, he had to raise two children when he was a mere child himself.

Yakko mentally smacked himself. From now on, he was only going to focus on the positives. He still had his sister, which was an incredible relief that she wasn't hurt too. He also had Harold, who he could tell was a very experienced investigator, and a fan of their show.

Yakko squinted as the bright sun beamed onto his face. Awaiting their arrival in front of the double doors to the Police Station was a basic police cruiser, which was a considerable upgrade from Harold's messy personal vehicle.

He crawled into the car next to Dot, placing a comforting arm around her.


	12. Chapter 12

A loud, incessant buzzing jarred Wakko out of his restless sleep. He shot upright in fear, looking around wildly for a few seconds before remembering where he was. The cell door clanked, then swung open to reveal the same young guard from yesterday.

"C'mon, move," he growled. "Common room."

Very reluctantly, Wakko slid off the bed and moved to the door. By now, he knew the best thing to do was keep quiet and do what they said.

_Course, if I had my mallet, 'they' wouldn't be doing much talking.._

Wakko sighed. This was all so frustrating, being defenseless like this. If only they knew how strong he was with his powers.

The guard snatched Wakko's hand and began walking out the door.

"So, in case you haven't noticed, I'm your personal caretaker. I will give you food, water, and a bunch of other stuff." the guard explained.

"Caretaker?" Wakko quietly asked.

"Yes. Caretaker. Ya know, the person who takes care. It's kind of self-explanatory."

"Well, do you have a name? Or do I just call you 'Caretaker'?"

Wakko smirked sarcastically, but instantly regretted it when the guard glared at him.

"Hey now, don't get smart with me. I'm the one who controls your happiness."

The guard still sounded harsh, but Wakko thought he heard some regret in there. Still, he glared and tried not to scoff.

_If you cared about my happiness, you'd let me go..._

Finally, the guard sighed in irritation.

"I'm not supposed to tell anyone my real name, but you can just call me Jack."

Wakko didn't respond, instead he was completely lost in thought. The guard seemed to be a little less hostile than he was before, even giving his name. Wakko was starting to wonder whether he was supposed to be scared of him or not.

After following the same path as yesterday, they reached the guard stand at the door to the common room. Jack pulled out a card and held it up before one of the guards turned to open the door. The electronic voice announced the opening door again, and it slid open. Several other kids were already gathered in the large space within, and as before they all looked up to see the newcomer.

"Now don't start any trouble or there's gonna be a lot more for you. I've got to go get Jarod." Jack said gruffly as he exited the room.

Wakko sighed. Even though he was surrounded by a several kids, he had never felt so alone.

Wakko looked around. The kids were a mixture of toons and humans. There was groups ranging from two to ten kids, either sitting on tables, eating, or standing around.

Thankfully, none of the kids gave Wakko a second look.

He took a deep breath and walked across the floor, resisting the urge to rub his arms. Even if they were kids like him, Wakko had a feeling that it was a good idea not to show signs of weakness around them. His stomach rumbled like thunder, reminding him that he hadn't eaten in a day now. He glanced around, looking for wherever the others were getting food.

He noticed that there was a line of kids in the far left area of the room. He went closer to investigate, seeing instantly that there was a small buffet-type area.

Wakko's eyes widened, and he made a dash for the line.

"Watch it bub!"

"Hey, get out of here!

"Watch where you're going!

Wakko paid no attention to the yells of the children he was bumping into. There was only one thing on his mind - food. He was almost there when suddenly, a rough hand grabbed his shoulder from behind. Wakko gasped as he was yanked around, pain throbbing in his shoulder from the hard grip.

An older kid, human, was glaring down at him with cold, angry eyes.

"You trying to cause trouble, punk?" he growled.

Wakko spastically shook his head. This kid was taller than him, and would obviously would have no trouble beating him up.

The bigger kid scoffed, a smirk tugging on his face.

"Really? Cause I think you are."

As he raised his fist, Wakko closed his eyes and held his hands in front of his face. The other boy had a tight grip on his shoulder, keeping him from dodging or running away.

"Hey! What the fuck do you think you're doing?!"

Wakko's ears burned at the harsh language, but he was thankful when the large kid released his grip.

"What's it look like I'm doing? I'm teaching the new kid some manners!"

"What for? He didn't do shit. All he wanted was some food, and then you have to come out and be an asshole, like usual."

Wakko opened his eyes and tried to take in just what was happening. Standing up to the bully was another kid - a toon. He was a rabbit with brown fur who looked about the same size as Wakko. Even though he was much smaller than the bigger kid, he didn't seem scared of him at all. He continued, his voice dripping with disgust.

"And besides, you think no one else here has noticed you only go after the littler kids? You better start watchin' your shit, or people are gonna start thinking you're chicken."

The bigger kid clenched his fists and made a growling sound, but the toon kid didn't back down. He stood his ground and kept his glare on, his arms crossed. Finally, the bigger kid scoffed and turned away.

"Whatever. Not even worth my time anyway."

With that, the large kid walked off. Of course, he shot them a well placed 'Middle Finger' before doing so.

Wakko stood there, awestruck. This little toon bunny just completely told off that giant behemoth.

Wakko approached the bunny, puffing his chest out in an attempt to look tough. "Umm, thanks."

The bunny put a dismissive hand up. "Save the act. Trying to look tough will only make you look more like a punching bag."

Wakko inwardly cringed, embarrassed that the bunny saw right through his act.

"Well? Don't you want to go eat something?"

Before he could reply, Wakko felt something tug on his shirt. Startled, he looked down to see Jarod sticking close to him, looking around with wide eyes.

"Hey, who's the little guy?"

Jarod gasped and shrank back, looking at the bunny toon fearfully.

"His name is Jarod," Wakko said. "He's new too."

The bunny looked Jarod over, then shrugged.

"Not much of a talker, huh? Just as well… less chance to piss someone off. Where's he from?"

"Florida," Wakko replied. The bunny glanced at Jarod with interest.

"Huh… long way from home." He looked back at Wakko. "So what about you? You have a name?"

"I'm Wakko. Wakko Warner. You?" Wakko asked.

"The name's Alex," the rabbit responded, offering his hand for a handshake. "I've been in this hellhole for a few weeks now."

Wakko cautiously accepted the handshake. Even though Alex just saved him from getting a black eye, he still didn't trust anyone.

"Umm, do you happen to know why we're here?"

"Don't look at me. I don't know sh-" Alex stopped himself, noticing Jarod was still standing next to Wakko. "Uh, I mean, 'Crap'. Come on, let's get something to eat."

Wakko and Jarod glanced at each other, then followed Alex toward the line of kids waiting for their meals.

"So, where're you from?" Wakko asked softly.

"Nowhere specific." Alex coldly responded.

"Okay then. Do you have any friends?" Wakko cautiously asked.

"Nope."

"Well, do you have any family?" Wakko was trying his best to get to know the brown bunny.

Alex sighed, turning around to face Wakko.

"Damn, you sure do ask a lot of questions."

Wakko gulped, hoping he hadn't just earned a beating after avoiding one.

"S-sorry…" he stammered. Jarod let out a soft whimper and moved behind him, his eyes wide and scared. Alex looked between them for a moment, then sighed and shrugged.

"Whatever. Just do me a favor and don't ask a ton of questions, because I wont answer them anyway."

_Sheesh, I was only trying to be nice..._

Wakko sighed. He supposed Alex had a reason for not wanting to answer any of his questions, but that didn't mean he should ignore him. After all, Alex did save him from a beating. The least Wakko could do was try to be his friend.

The three of them grabbed a plate and awaited their turn.

"The only good thing about this death trap is that the food is edible." Alex deadpanned.

Wakko felt a shiver run down his spine, and the words escaped before he could stop them.

"D-death trap?"

"Don't get your panties in a knot, it's just an expression. I've yet to see one corpse."

Wakko sighed as it became his turn to get food. He held out his tray as the man behind the counter put a mixture of meats and vegetables on the plate.

Wakko looked at his plate as butterflies flew around in his stomach. Food usually made him happy, but not this time. This time he felt incredibly depressed and sad, with no one to talk to about how he felt.

He started thinking about his siblings. In a way, he kind of wished they were taken too. That way he would at least have someone to talk to.

Wakko mentally smacked himself. That was an incredibly selfish way of thinking. He was glad they weren't taken, he was happy that they were safe, and he was glad to know that his brother would never stop looking for him!

"You coming?"

Wakko snapped out of his thoughts, seeing that Alex and Jarod were waiting for him at a table. With another sigh, he trudged over and sank into an empty seat. Picking up his fork, he pushed the food on his plate around a little before taking a half-hearted bite. His mood might be low as it could get, but he was just too hungry not to eat.

"You got family, don't you?"

Wakko looked up at Alex in surprise; the toon kid was looking at him with a scrutinizing look. He shrugged.

"I've been here long enough to tell."

He returned to his own meal, looking disinterested.

"You want my advice, forget about 'em. They'll give up before they even get close."

The fear came back in full force, but only for a moment. It was quickly replaced with anger… what right did this kid have to tell him to forget his family? That they would forget about him? His siblings would never give up… he knew they wouldn't.

"No!" he snapped. "No, they won't!"

Jarod looked at him with huge eyes, but Wakko barely noticed as he glared at Alex.

"What makes you think that?!" Alex scoffed. "Look around! All these other kids have families too, and no one has found us yet!"

Wakko clenched his fists.

"Shut up Alex! Maybe if you weren't so pessimistic, you'd have already found a way to escape!"

"Escape? There's no escape! And I've got a damn good reason to be pessimistic! Now just shut up and eat your food before I stab you with my fork."

Wakko closed his eyes and sighed. He was glad that the forks were made of plastic, or else Alex might actually stab him with it. He glanced over at Jarod, who wasn't eating anymore. He figured that his argument with Alex probably scared him.

Wakko rubbed the back of his head, thinking about his current predicament. For someone who saved him from a beating, Alex sure seemed to be quite a jerk. Of course, he probably had a good reason for being mean. In a place like this, you can't trust anyone, and Alex had obviously figured that out.

Wakko decided that he was still going to try and befriend him. Someone that tough and fearless could prove helpful in the future.

"Look, I'm sorry." Alex quietly said.

"What?" Wakko said, the comment catching him by surprise. Alex grumbled to himself.

"Dammit Warner, you're gonna make me say it again?"

"I'm serious, I don't think I heard you." Wakko said, trying to hold back a smile.

"Smartass," Alex mumbled under his breath. "Look, I said I'm sorry. It's just that… it's just because... well, you see... dammit, just leave me alone." With that he stood from his chair and swiftly walked off. Startled, Wakko watched him leave. A twinge of sadness came to him as he began to think about Alex's words. Whatever he'd been through, it must have been awful if he didn't even want to talk about it. In his mind, there was now even more reason to try and make friends… having someone willing to give some support couldn't hurt Alex.

With a sigh, Wakko returned to eating. Out of instinct he glanced at Alex's abandoned tray, wondering if he was coming back. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed that Jarod was still sitting quietly, staring at his tray. Wakko felt sorry for the boy; he reached out and patted his shoulder, giving him a small smile.

"Hey, don't worry about what he said. It's gonna be okay."

"I hope so." Jarod whimpered as he wiped the tear from his eye.


	13. Chapter 13

The hot sun beamed down on Harold's vehicle. The rubber tires burned against the scorching asphalt as he hastily tried to keep up with the police cruisers.

It wasn't very hard for Harold to tune out the blaring sirens; he was used to loud noises on the road. His main thoughts were on what was about to happen. Even though he was hoping that everyone they found would get out okay, he was especially concerned about the Warner kid. There was no guarantee that this was where he was, and if he wasn't…

Harold let out a sigh; that prospect was not something he wanted to think about. It was probably best to just focus on the raid and getting everyone out in one piece. He would tell himself to think positive, but experience had shown him that bad things had a habit of happening, whether you thought positive or not.

Harold was a big fan of the show and he knew how close the siblings were. If anything were to happen to Wakko, it would haunt him for the rest of his life.

If there was anything Harold despised, it was failure. Whether it's failing to catch a murderer, or failing to save a life, he couldn't stand it.

But he couldn't fail this time. Too much was on the line, and he absolutely had to be successful in either finding Wakko or at least gaining some sort of clue. He'd wring it out of one of those TC goons if he had to.

Finally the cruisers screeched to a halt in front of an old warehouse. The SWAT officers leaped out and began to swarm the building from all directions as the team leaders yelled commands. Harold tightened his grip on the wheel, itching to go in as well, but the plan was for SWAT to make the first sweep to secure the suspects and hostages. Then he would come in with the other detectives to interview any captives or hostages.

Harold grunted with impatience; he couldn't help wondering what the point of having a gun was if no one let you use it.

A man standing in front of the building pulled a bullhorn out and prepared to speak.

"Attention! Attention! We have you surrounded! If you do not surrender, our men will be forced to break and enter with lethal force!"

Harold adjusted himself in his seat so that he could get a better view. There was little to no chance in hell that TC was going to surrender… he just hoped they wouldn't hurt anyone. Sure enough, gunshots split the air that weren't from the officers. They ducked for cover, then men began shouting.

"Move in, move in! Go!"

The SWAT officers lifted their shields and charged, swarming the warehouse with their guns at the ready. More gunfire rang out, and Harold could only hope that it wouldn't hurt any of the hostages or officers. If he were honest, he didn't like the idea of anyone getting hurt, but the TC members were hardly forefront in those concerns after what they did to so many innocent toons.

All of a sudden there was a loud crash and his passenger window exploded. Instinctively, Harold turned away and shielded his face from the wads of glass. Snatching his gun from its holster, he slid out the car door and positioned himself; his weapon at the ready.

"Come on..." he growled to himself. "Just try that again."

Another bullet whizzed past his face with incredible speed, missing him by only a few inches.

Harold collapsed behind the car, crouching down to make himself as small as possible. His breathing was almost out of control, but he managed to regain his composure, just long enough to spot where the gunfire was coming from...

"The roof! There's a man on the roof!" Harold shouted to his fellow officers.

More bullets sped past his head as he crouched behind the ruined car. The officers who were firing into the building turned their fire to the man on the roof.

Glass broke from the windows of the building, bodies hit the pavement as bullets whistled through the air, piercing the skin of anyone who was unlucky enough to get in the way. Screams of pain from injured men echoed throughout the parking lot, creating an eerie and deadly feeling in the pit of Harold's stomach.

Harold sighed. He couldn't tell which side was winning, and he hated being trapped behind the car like some kind of scared child. He had to make a run for it and help his fellow officers. Even if he got shot, he had to at least try.

After taking a deep breath to harden his nerve, he darted out from behind the car and ran toward the warehouse; as low to the ground as he could. Even more bullets shot past, some so close he could almost feel them. He hesitated just long enough to squeeze off a round of shots at the muzzle flashes in the windows, then darted behind a nearby wall. He wasn't sure if he'd hit anyone but he did hear a few screams coming from the building.

Harold stayed down for a while as more shots cracked through the air, trying to decide what his next action would be.

_Reinforcements..._

That was it, they needed reinforcements. He could tell that they had the odds stacked against them, and they were only gonna get themselves killed if he didn't do anything about it.

Harold sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. Sweat was dripping down his face, and cuts from the shattered glass made its mark on his forearm.

This whole thing was a complete shock to him. He knew TC was brutal, relentless, and often times lethal, but he had no idea they were this well trained, or had this many numbers.

It didn't matter though, Harold had to focus on a way to get reinforcements.

Harold took some time to notice everything around him. There was the building, which was an absolute killzone, and then there was the parking lot where the police cruisers were parked.

_Police cruisers..._

That was it! He could get to the cruisers and call for help. After another quick shot at the warehouse, Harold charged into the parking lot. A bullet ripped his sleeve, just grazing his arm, and Harold clenched his teeth at the sting before darting to the nearest police cruiser. He yanked open the door and ducked his relief, the radio was still working.

"Code 8, code 8! We're taking heavy fire at the suspected TC hideout, we need backup now!"

The radio crackled back a reply.

"10-4, backup is on the way. Just sit tight!"

Harold crouched down in the seat of the cruiser, clenching his teeth and praying to whatever god was out there that reinforcements would get there before it was too late.

Harold sighed, wondering why it always seemed like he was the one who had to do the difficult work. After all, he was only a detective.

He figured that it was at least for a good cause, reuniting a family and all. He lived for those moments, being able to see a child returned to its parents or a husband and wife reunited. It made the struggles of his job completely worth it, even if he wasn't successful one hundred percent of the time.

However, those times he wasn't successful still haunted him to this day. The times when he had to inform a family that their loved one wasn't coming back, when he couldn't bring a murderer to justice, when he couldn't save someone…

Harold snapped out of his daydream. The last thing he needed in a time like this was to get lost in thought.

He slowly sat up, in order to look over the dashboard of the car, attempting to get a view of the battlefield.

Several SWAT and police men were still firing from the inside and outside of the building.

Harold sighed, relieved to see that they had finally managed to breach the building. He had no idea how many men were inside the building, but he was glad there were any at all.

However, on the left side of the building was three police men treating the injured SWAT members. Harold cringed; several of the injured men were bleeding heavily, and might not make it unless they were rushed to the hospital.

Much to his relief, however, the sound of sirens echoed through the air, getting closer. Soon more cruisers screeched into the parking lot, and more men rushed to back up those in the building and cover the others while they rushed those who were injured to the ambulances. Harold sighed, hoping that they would get to the hospital in time.

Harold put on his game face and turned around, ready to fight any TC bastard who dared to get in his way.

He pulled another clip of ammo out of his pocket and inserted it into his pistol. He wiped the sweat from his fur and prepared to enter the building with the police men who followed.

Everything was played out in slow-motion for Harold. This was what he had been waiting for, a chance to finally use the gun that he was seemingly never allowed to fire, a chance to finally find some clues on where Wakko was.

Bullets were darting past his face, but he didn't care. In this moment, nothing could hurt him. No force on heaven or earth could possibly stop him from entering that building.

"Move, move, move!"

As the officers charged forward, Harold cocked his gun and lunged out from his hiding place. The gunfire continued as they raced toward the warehouse, returning fire as they ran.

"Keep sharp, boys!" yelled one of the police men. "Take out the shooters if you have to, but watch out for the hostages! Go!"

With that, Harold and the other men darted through the front entrance of the warehouse. Inside was a few remaining SWAT members who were very heavily outnumbered by the amount of TC members.

Bullets whizzed past Harold and the other officers. They dashed for cover, eventually finding it behind some crates that the remaining SWAT members were hiding behind.

"Thank god you're here, who knows how much longer we would have lasted without backup." Said one of the SWAT members, relieved.

"Focus on the battle, we will have time to exchange pleasantries after we have won." Harold said firmly.

Harold sighed and cracked his knuckles. One of the officers made a hand signal, indicating that they were ready to fire.

With that, Harold and the other officers stood up and began firing at the TC members from across the room. Harold cringed, wishing that he had earplugs to soften the noise from the guns.

Harold and the officers continued to fire, occasionally stopping to reload. They began slowly walking across the room as the remaining TC members began to retreat.

The smell of gunpowder and blood filled the air as the bodies of TC members began to hit the floor.

"We're all clear." Said one of the officers.

"Good. Check the perimeter, search for any hostages. I want all these crates opened." Harold firmly commanded.

The officers nodded and did as they were told.

"Clear over here!"

"Same here!"

The officers began shouting across the room, indicating that the area was free of any more hostiles. However, they still had the second floor to check...

"I want all these crates opened. Now!" Harold yelled to the men.

"Yes sir!"

The crunching sound of wood began to echo through the body-littered warehouse as the men began prying and smashing open the crates.

Harold sighed and shot the lock off of a crate, causing the crate to burst open. He cringed, completely stunned at what was inside...

"Umm, sir? There isn't anything in any of these crates." One of the officers said.

Harold turned around, a combination of anger and confusion firing his temper.

"I know that! Now are we gonna just sit here or are we gonna clear out the rest of this godforsaken building?!"

The men looked around at each other and began reloading their weapons, preparing for another firefight.

"That's what I thought." Harold said with annoyance. "Now watch out for hostages. If there wasn't any down here, you can be damn sure that there will be some upstairs."

He reloaded his own gun, then located the nearest stairway. As he and the other officers hurried toward them, Harold found himself hoping any remaining TC members were smart enough to surrender without a fight. Not just because he didn't like the idea of anyone else getting hurt, but because having people to question could be helpful.

As his group stopped, the other officers split off to cover the other stairways. Once they were all in position, one of the squad leaders yelled up.

"We've got you surrounded, there's nowhere to go! You've got ten seconds to put down your weapons and come down with your hands on your head! If we hear any shots, we're coming up!"

No one responded. Harold sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Five seconds!"

A rather loud "thump" was heard from the upstairs room.

"Go in!" Harold yelled. The squad leader responded right away.

"Move, move!"

The SWAT officers swarmed up the stairways, Harold rushing along with them. From his position near the front, he heard one of the leading officers curse.

"Stop him! Get him down!"

When Harold reached the top of the steps, three officers were wrestling a man to the floor.

It wasn't a hard battle; the man was easily taken down and cuffed. The three officers stood him up and pushed him against the wall. They began searching him, pulling miscellaneous items out of his pockets.

"Sir, we've got hostages!" One of the SWAT officers yelled.

Harold entered the room where the hostages were. Five hostages to be exact. The room was filthy, gloomy, smelled like a musty old apartment, and was far too small for even one person to be living in; much less five. Inside were five small cages, each holding a toon of a different species. Harold swallowed hard, then spoke in a cool, collected voice.

"Get them out of there and make sure they get food and water. If any of them have injuries, I want them brought to the hospital right away. Take them out to the cruisers, it's probably been a while since they've seen the sun."

The officers immediately began freeing each toon, one at a time. Each one looked sick, melancholy, and injured. Harold could only imagine what kind of sick things the TC did to them.

With those thoughts, his temper finally reached its breaking point. He marched out of the room, went straight to the handcuffed guard, and snatched him by the collar.

"Do you know who I am?" Harold growled.

The guard stared at him with dead eyes, giving no response whatsoever.

"Well, guess what? I'm Harold Axton. Yeah, THAT Harold Axton. I took down the Orange Grove crime ring and the diamond smugglers outside of Kenya." Harold leaned right into the man's face, lowering his voice. "Right now I'm looking for Wakko Warner… and if you don't help me, I can make sure the amount of pain you get will be ten times worse than what you did to those innocent toons."

The man spat in Harold's face. "I'm not telling you shit."

Harold slowly wiped his face. He then snatched the man by the throat, slightly choking him as he threw him to the ground.

The man groaned as he slowly tried to stand back up, but Harold kicked him straight to the gut, causing the wind to get knocked out of him. Harold then grabbed the man by his shirt and threw him against the wall.

"Listen to me you son of a bitch, I don't think you understand what kind of hell is waiting for you if you don't tell me what I want to hear."

"F-Fuck y-you," the man stuttered harshly.

Anger nearly caused steam to come out of Harold's ears. He pulled his arm back and put all his might into a direct punch to the man's face; a loud crunch was heard upon impact.

Harold looked at the other officers, who were watching with wide eyes.

"Take him to the station, we'll see how he feels in a few hours."

The officers nodded with grim smiles and dragged the man off. Harold glared after him, then turned toward the window. Placing his hands on the sill, he squeezed it until his nails dug into the wood. They had a guy to question, and his instincts were telling him that he knew something. It was one of the things he'd been hoping for, but right now he could only think of the other Warners, sitting at home, hoping against hope that their brother was coming home. Just imagining their faces when they found out he wasn't made him feel sick.

Either way, he wasn't stopping until he had answers. Whatever that scumbag knew, he'd wring it out of him one way or another.


	14. Chapter 14

The tower was quiet, dimly lit, and had an empty feeling to it. The air conditioner quietly hummed, sounding almost eerie.

Yakko and Dot sat on the couch, huddled close together while watching TV. Yakko felt bad for just sitting around watching television, but he was gonna go insane if he didn't have some kind of stress reliever.

He put his arm around Dot and gently rubbed her shoulder. Dot hadn't cried in a while, but he could tell that she was very unhappy. Things simply weren't the same without his younger brother around, and it hurt both of them to not be able to do anything.

Yakko forced out a chuckle at something on the TV, in an attempt to lighten the mood, but Dot wasn't having any part of it. She kept her expression blank, not even acknowledging that he laughed.

"You know, letting yourself laugh might make you feel better," he said.

Dot glared at him.

"How can I laugh when I know my brother is missing and I might never see him again?!"

Yakko's throat tightened, but he forced himself not to show his fear. Instead he placed a hand on his sister's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze, making her look at him before he spoke.

"Even if he was gone forever, which he's not, do you really think he'd want you to be miserable for the rest of your life?"

Dot sighed and covered her eyes with her hands.

"No," she said softly. "He wouldn't. But I just can't have any kind of fun until I know he's okay."

Just then, the doorbell rang and both siblings jumped. Even though they feared getting their hopes up, they couldn't help but wonder if this was it.

"Well, you might get your wish," Yakko said as he stood up, approaching the door. Taking a deep breath, he opened it.

His heart immediately fell when he saw Harold's tired face. It wasn't a completely grim look, but it wasn't that of someone bringing good news.

"May I come in?"

Wordlessly, Yakko stepped aside. He couldn't even look at his sister; he could already see her crushed look in his mind's eye. Harold slowly entered the tower and let out a heavy sigh.

"The raid was pretty much a success… we got the hostages, but I'm afraid your brother wasn't one of them."

Yakko closed his eyes, ordering himself not to cry; he heard Dot whimper softly.

"Then… we're just back to nothing?" she sniffled.

"No." Harold's firm tone made Yakko look up again, just a slight bit of hope returning. The toon detective continued.

"We have a suspect in custody. I'm positive he knows something, and I'll get it out of him. Wherever your brother really is, we'll find it out."

Yakko wanted to believe that more than anything, but the crushing disappointment of knowing Wakko was still missing kept him from feeling any real hope.

"How do you know this guy knows anything?"

Harold looked at him, and Yakko could tell he'd heard the skepticism in his voice. He spoke in a tone that was dead serious, and left no doubt that every word was true.

"I've been doing this a long time. Trust me, I know how to tell when people are hiding something. I also know how to get people to tell me that something."

Yakko cringed. He didn't like the idea of torturing someone for information, but if it had to be done in order to find his brother, he was ready to accept it.

"I've got to get going, we're going to interrogate the suspect in an hour."

Yakko nodded and gently shut the door as Harold descended down the ladder. He took a seat next to Dot, she gazed at him with curious eyes.

"What did he say?"

"They have a suspect that might know where he is," Yakko deadpanned tiredly.

The expression on Dot's face was a combination of skepticism and sadness. Tears filled her eyes, but she forced them back down, determined not to cry.

"Let 'em do their job. Everything's going to be okay."

Dot didn't respond, but instead slouched back into the couch.

Yakko turned the TV back on, trying his best to get his and Dot's mind off of Wakko… at least for a little bit.

* * *

"All right, come on… keep it moving. No dawdling!"

Wakko glanced around at the other kids, trying not to tremble from his growing nerves. Not long after everyone finished eating, the guards had gathered them all together and began separating the kids into groups before leading them off. He'd wanted to ask Alex what was going on, but he was taken with a different group.

"What're they gonna do?"

Wakko glanced at Jarod, who was walking close beside him. He looked so scared, and Wakko found himself wishing he could tell him they weren't gonna do anything. But the best he could do was look out for the kid in any way he could.

"I don't know," he whispered. "But try to stay close, okay?"

Jarod nodded and tried his best to not cry. His hands were shaking and he felt like he wanted to burst into tears.

Wakko rubbed the back of his neck. He was nervous obviously, but he was more focused on finding any weak spots or chances to escape. He examined the area around him, trying to spot which group Alex had been put in to.

After a quick glance around the room, Wakko was quickly able to spot Alex in the midst of a group of much larger and seemingly older kids. Alex was trembling and obviously confused, but he puffed his chest out in an attempt to look brave and tough.

Wakko sighed, noticing that he was mostly surrounded by younger kids. He figured they must have divided them into separate age groups.

His fear grew when he noticed some men approaching each group with metal cases. Their faces were emotionless, and they were wearing blue gloves that looked like medical ones. One of the guards spoke up, his voice loud and aggressive.

"All right. Form a line and no dawdling! Give us any trouble, and you'll get a lot more!"

Wakko glanced at Jarod, who looked almost ready to turn and run. Quickly, he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and gave him the most reassuring smile he could manage. Moving with the other kids, they shuffled into line. Suddenly he heard a kid in another line gasp.

"No, please don't!"

Wakko quickly looked and his stomach clenched. A human girl, not much older than eight, was crying as one of the gloved men grabbed her arm.

"Keep quiet," he grumbled.

Suddenly, Jenkins entered wearing a black t-shirt and a red vest, with baggy jeans. He was carrying a large bullhorn, and he began speaking.

"Listen up kids! You may be wondering what we're doing right now, but I assure you, there's no need to be afraid! We will cause you no harm."

Wakko's fist tightened. He didn't believe a single word that Jenkins was saying. The man continued to speak, with all the charisma of a talk-show host.

"You'll be getting one shot at this time every day. It won't take long, and we will do our best to make it as painless as possible."

Wakko's eyes widened as the gloved man lifted a syringe filled with a cloudy liquid, then pushed the needle into the girl's arm. She whimpered, but obviously didn't dare do more than that. The man reached into the case and replaced the needle as the girl stepped away, rubbing her arm with tears in her eyes.

"Next."

Even though nobody appeared reassured, Wakko could tell they were even more afraid of resisting. No one put up any argument and received their shots without complaint. Even Alex didn't say anything, though he sent the man an impressive glare. All too soon, it was Wakko's turn. He tried hard not to tremble as he looked up at the man, and was relieved when his voice came out steady.

"What's this for?"

The man sighed, looking impatient.

"No questions."

Wakko cringed as the needle was pushed into his arm, but was relieved as it ended almost as quickly as it began.

"Move along"

Wakko sighed and rubbed his arm as he began walking towards a table, where Alex was sitting, followed closely by Jarod.

"Don't look at me, I'm just as confused as you are." Alex harshly said as Wakko and Jarod took a seat.

Jarod sniffled as he held his arm, tears swimming in his eyes as he looked at the other kids.

"W-why're they doing this? We d-don't need shots."

Wakko glanced at Alex, then tried to look encouraging.

"Maybe they just wanna make sure we won't make each other sick. They need us for something, and they'll probably want us in good shape."

He saw Alex roll his eyes, but Jarod looked up at him hopefully.

"You really think so?"

Wakko managed a smile and nodded. To be honest, he doubted it as much as Alex probably did. He didn't like lying to Jarod, but it wouldn't do any good to scare him more. Besides, with any luck he'd be able to find a way out and they'd be gone before things got worse.


	15. Chapter 15

"I'm not sayin' anything."

Harold forced his growing rage under control, limiting himself to slamming a hand on the table. The suspect twitched, his handcuffs rattling.

"Listen, scumbag, I'm not known for my patience," Harold growled. "And if a kid's safety is in question, I can do a lot for the information I need."

The officer nearby glanced at him with slight unease, but nodded.

"I'd believe it if I were you."

The suspect kept glaring, but the faintest trace of unease was visible on his face.

"Oh, yeah? What you gonna do, pound it outta me?"

Harold looked at him coldly.

"Appealing as that is, I'm not willing to risk a cruel and inhumane charge."

He crossed his arms and put on a thoughtful look.

"There's plenty of loose lips in a police station. Suppose word leaks out that a TC suspect is offering to cooperate with us. Say... give information about a bigger organization."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Maybe the force can't spare protection for the suspect."

He could almost hear the blood drain from the man's face.

"Y-you can't do that... do you have any idea..."

"What they'd do?" Harold shrugged. "You got yourself in this mess. How it might affect you really isn't our problem."

"Shit." The suspect pulled on his handcuffs, twitching nervously. "Dammit, I guess I have no other choice."

"You're right, you don't." Harold deadpanned.

The suspect sighed. "Alright, fine, you win. I'll tell you what you want to know, it's not like i'm ever gonna get out of here..."

Harold took a seat on the opposite side of the table, curiosity and stress was etched on his face. "I'm waiting."

"Alright, listen..." The suspect leaned in closer to Harold. "These guys in black suits came to us, said they needed our help with something. They offered us money in exchange for specific toons. I don't know shit about who they are or why they wanted them, but as long as money was involved, we didn't ask any questions."

Harold pulled out a notepad and began writing hastily.

"Most of the toons they wanted were poor no-names, and were very easy to get. Others, like Wakko, were a bit of a challenge. We spent a few weeks spying on him and his family. When his brother and sister left him home-alone, we knew that was the perfect time to snatch him."

Harold eyed the man curiously, trying his best to not reach across the table and punch him.

"It was all so easy. I was enjoying a cigar, waiting for the right time to move. We took every precaution, even faking accents whenever we were in public just to make sure our voices wouldn't be recognizable."

Harold felt a dangerous rage building up inside of him. He clenched his fist and swallowed his pride as he continued to patiently listen to the man's story.

"It was perfect. We knew driving an ice cream truck would only make it easier for us. The kid didn't even know what hit him."

"I don't give a damn on 'how' you got him, I want to know who you gave him to!" Harold yelled, slamming a fist on the table.

"Did you not hear what I said? I said I don't know shit about 'who' or 'what' they are! Damn, you toons are dense!"

Harold glared at the man for a moment, then kicked the chair out from under him as he turned to the officer in the room.

"Take this filth away, he's gonna spend a nice long time here."

The officer nodded and stood the man up.

"C'mon, move it!"

After the suspect was shoved out of the interview room, Harold took out his notebook again, scanning what he'd written. Letting out a sigh, he snapped it shut and headed for his office. He had some information. Now he just needed to figure out what it meant.

* * *

_Nothing but blank white walls stretched to his left and right, with no doors, no windows, and no other person in sight. Wakko felt more and more scared as he looked around._

_"Hello...?" Only his voice echoed back. "Hello? Is anyone here?!"_

_Still no reply came. Terror began numbing his senses and Wakko found it pushing his legs to run. He tore down the blank white corridor, his voice now shrill with panic as he kept shouting._

_"SOMEONE! PLEASE, HELP!"_

_A sudden, familiar voice cut through the panicked haze. Wakko didn't catch the words, but it still made him freeze. Hope slowly replaced the fear._

_"Yakko?"_

_The warm, comforting voice of his brother was quickly replaced with a harsh, demonic sounding growl._

_Tears filled Wakko's eyes as the panic and terror set back in. He ran, attempting to flee the demonic voice that seemingly never got anymore distant._

_"LEAVE ME ALONE!"_

Wakko sat up in his bed, hyperventilating and completely drenched in sweat. He placed his hands over his eyes, trying to remove the horrific sounds and images from the nightmare he just had.

He sighed, desperately wishing he had his siblings to comfort him.

That's how it worked with his family. If any one of them was scared, hurt, or just upset, they were always there for each other, no matter what. Even Yakko would have his moments of fear and anxiety.

"It's just a dream…" he whispered, shivering. "That's it… nothing's here."

He'd had bad dreams before, but something was different about this one. It all seemed so real that even now he could barely distinguish it from reality. As he tried to push the horrible thoughts of the nightmare out of his mind, he suddenly thought of the injections everyone got yesterday. Was it possible that… they were doing this?

The thought was so crazy, even for Wakko, that he shook his head.

No way… shots can't do that for real.

He slowly lay back down, but as he stared up at the ceiling, a tingling of foreboding remained in the back of his mind.

_What are they doing with us?_

Wakko clamped his eyes shut, trying his best to get back to sleep. It was no use… fear and anxiety filled his mind and sleep was something that was too far-fetched for him.

Tears slowly trickled down his cheeks, despite his efforts not to let them escape. He pulled his blanket over his head and buried his face into his pillow, trying desperately to drown out the reality of his situation.


	16. Chapter 16

It felt like forever before morning finally came, and it didn't bring much relief. Wakko had barely slept at all after that nightmare, and he was paying for it. He tried to suppress a yawn as he trudged on stiff legs into the common room behind Jack.

"Rough night?"

Startled, Wakko glanced at the guard, wondering if his tired mind was playing tricks on him. Jack shrugged, his face impassive.

"It'll get easier."

With that he turned and left. Wakko stared after him until the doors slid shut, then shook his head and headed for the food counter. At least he might feel a little better with a full stomach.

He took a tray and got the usual grub. He made his way to the table where he, Jarod, and Alex usually sat, but he stopped and cringed at the horrendous sight of them.

Both Jarod and Alex had dark circles and bags underneath their eyes. None of them were eating, they were only sitting there like tired and unfocused zombies.

Wakko clumsily plopped in the seat next to them. "What's wrong with you two?"

Alex groaned. "Couldn't sleep... bad dreams... ugh."

Wakko sighed and glanced at Jarod, who was currently resting his head on the table. "What about you? Bad dreams also?"

Jarod sighed and nodded his head. Wakko patted his shoulder and looked around at the other kids nearby. Not everyone looked as worn out as others, but as far as he could tell no one had gotten a full night's sleep. A feeling of unease clenched his stomach… whatever was going on here, he didn't like it.

"Me too," he said, then glanced at Alex. "D' you think… the shots did something?"

Alex gave him a tired glare."How the hell should I know? Hope you're smart enough not to go around askin' everyone that."

Wakko shot him an annoyed glare.

Alex cringed. "Look, I'm sorry, but I'm tired as fuck, and you should know by now that I'm very easily irritated."

Shrugging it off, Wakko turned his attention to his tray. He couldn't make sense out of any of this. If the shots had caused the bad dreams, what was the point of it? Why would these people want them sleep deprived? And, of course, it all came back to the main question… what did they want with them?

_I bet Yakko could've figured it out by now..._

The thought came almost unbidden, and Wakko blinked as his eyes welled. He wanted so badly to see his siblings again, even if it would just be for a little bit. He tried not to think that he wanted them here… they would only go through the same things he was.

"Just sit down and eat your food. Starving yourself most likely won't help our situation." Alex said, somewhat sarcastically.

Wakko sighed and began taking small bites out of his food. Usually he enjoyed food, he loved it as a matter of fact, but this time he had to force himself to eat anything. With every bite he took, he could barely swallow. He sighed.

"So now what?"

Alex looked up, a blank look on his face.

"What?"

"Now what?" Wakko repeated. "What are we gonna do?"

Alex scoffed, his voice cold.

"Nothing. We're gonna sit here like a bunch of helpless children, because that's exactly what we are."

Wakko closed his eyes and rested his head on the table. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he knew that was all he was… a stupid and helpless child.

Faint humming from the metal cuff on his wrist suddenly buzzed in his ears. Lifting his head, Wakko looked at it and a feeling of loathing filled him. If this thing was just gone, he could get himself and the others out of here with no problem. In a rush of frustration, he whacked it against the table.

"The only thing your gonna damage by doing that is your wrist. Trust me, I've tried." Alex deadpanned.

"Well we have to do something!" Wakko fiercely stood up. "I'm not gonna just sit here and accept this. We have to figure something out!"

"Oh really? And what do you want to figure out, wise one?" Alex said mockingly.

"Well... uhh..." Wakko felt his face heat. "Umm… Well, what do we all have in common?"

"Oh, pick me!" Alex exclaimed, raising his hand. "We're all full of shit and we're all screwed?"

Wakko glared at him. "If you're not gonna be any help, why don't you go crawl back in the hole that you came from?"

Alex sighed and crossed his arms.

"Thank you." Wakko calmly said. "Now, these people must've picked us specifically. I doubt they were just snatching random people off the street, and that means that we must have something in common."

Alex rolled his eyes, but then frowned in thought.

"Well, we're all damn good with toon powers… maybe that's it?"

Wakko thought for a minute, then then shook his head.

"No… that can't be it. Jarod's a human, and we all know it's way harder for humans to learn to use those powers."

"Actually, my mommy's a toon," Jarod said softly. Wakko and Alex stared at him; he looked down shyly, but continued. "I was born a human, but my mommy always told me I'm gifted with toon powers."

Alex squinted at him.

"Wait a second... Your dad, a human, is married to a toon? Isn't that against the rules of nature or something?"

Wakko glared at him.

"Shut up… it doesn't happen a lot, but it's perfectly fine." He looked back at Jarod. "Sorry, as you were saying?"

Jarod shifted in his seat.

"So, yeah… I have a human body, but I can use toon powers. My mommy taught me."

"Well, then Alex was right. We're all good with toon powers. But what would they want with that?" Wakko asked. Alex shrugged.

"Who the hell knows? To get back at someone, make us into a bunch of damn secret agents… Hell, maybe they wanna take it away. We all know there's people that hate us."

Jarod looked up, his eyes wide.

"But why? What'd we do t' them?"

Alex glanced at him, his eyebrows raised.

"You don't know much, do ya, kid? We were who we are. They think we're freaks and some people can't stand freaks, cause they're just so damn perfect."

"B-But why? W-Why would they think t-that?" Jarod shyly asked, with a small hint of hurt etched in his voice.

"Because I'm a talking shit-colored rabbit, thats why." Alex said harshly.

"Okay, that's it!" Wakko yelled. "It's no wonder you're so miserable all the time Alex, you're just a walking source of pessimism!"

"Oh yeah?" Alex stood up from his chair and got closer to Wakko. "Don'cha think that I might have a reason for being so pissed off all the time?"

Wakko stood too, glaring angrily at him.

"Well, it better be a really good one!"

"Trust me," Alex sighed and sat back in his chair. "It is."

Wakko looked at him for a moment, then slowly sat down.

"It's your family, isn't it?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Alex softly spoke.

"Come on, tell me." Wakko said comforting.

"I said, I don't want to talk about it." Alex said sounding slightly annoyed.

"You can't keep it in forever." Wakko said, trying his best to sound trustworthy.

"What part of 'I don't want to talk about it' do you not understand?!" Alex snapped as he stood up. "Leave me alone, Warner. I didn't ask to be interviewed by you."

With that, Alex walked off into a large crowd of children.

Wakko sighed. He was only trying to help, but he figured now wasn't the best time to act like a psychiatrist. Alex would be forced to tell him once they escape.

If they escape, that is...


	17. Chapter 17

Harold rubbed his eyes as he ran over the file, squinting in thought. He'd spent half the night searching out any strange financial activity involving the TC group, and was currently operating on three hours of sleep and two strong coffees. He wanted to go to the Warner kids with more detailed information this time; the looks on their faces last time still stuck with him. A slight rush of anger made him clench his teeth.

_What kind of heartless bastard would do this to a family for money?_

He sighed and leaned back in his chair as he took another sip of coffee. The warm liquid sliding down his throat was a pleasant sensation. He then looked down at his watch.

_Ugh, 4:00 A.M._

With a groan, he pulled himself out of his chair and locked up his office for the night. He knew that not sleeping wasn't going to help with anything.

* * *

The eldest Warner jolted awake, barely stopping himself from yelling his brother's name out loud. Taking deep, shaking breaths to try and calm down, he glanced over at the other beds. Dot was still asleep, though how well he couldn't say. Sleep wasn't their friend these days. Knowing he wasn't likely to doze off again anytime soon, Yakko slid out of bed and trudged out into the hall.

He glanced over at a clock that was mounted on the wall just outside their bedroom. He sighed when he saw it was currently 5:30. He was glad to know that he managed to at least sleep through most of the night.

His relief was replaced with fear as he heard a quiet and distant clicking sound. He held his breath, trying to discover the location of the robotic sound.

Yakko slowly and quietly tip-toed into the kitchen, keeping his ears up high in an attempt to pin-point the exact location of the sound. A faint whirring sound seemed to follow his movements, so he listened carefully, noting when it seemed to grow fainter and when it got stronger. Finally, he found himself by the fridge. When he waved a hand, the whirring came again and his eyes moved upward, following the sound. Grabbing a chair, he pulled it over to the fridge and climbed up on it so he could see the top.

He ruffled through some miscellaneous junk, his groggy eyes trying to focus on where the sound came from. He continued to search through the junk, finding nothing of any particular interest.

"AHHHH!" Yakko screamed as something grabbed his foot. He lost his balance and toppled the chair over, landing directly on his back.

"Yakko?! Are you okay?!" Dot asked, looking down at him with wide eyes.

Yakko sighed. "Thank God it's you..." He pulled her into a tight hug. "Don't sneak up on me like that."

Dot returned the hug. "Sorry, but you were making a lot of noise out here."

Yakko decided that it would be best to not tell her about the noise, he didn't want to scare her more than she already was.

"Come on, let's get you back to bed. After all, what would you do without your cutie sleep?" Yakko asked playfully.

Dot smiled. "You're right, what would I do? I'd be miserable!"

Yakko smiled and walked her back into her room. He tucked her in and gave her a loving kiss on her forehead.

"Love ya, Dot." Yakko cooed as he quietly closed the door. She did not respond.

Yakko sighed and walked back to the fridge. He stood on his toes with intense concentration, try to hear the sound again.

Nothing.

Yakko frowned and made his way to the couch. Letting out a heavy sigh, he sank down onto it and rubbed his eyes. He was sure now that he wasn't imagining that weird sound, but what was it? And why had he only noticed it in the past few days?

Probably 'cause it's so quiet around here now.

That sobering thought made his shoulders slump. He and his siblings had never been apart this long, and certainly not without knowing where each other was. The eldest Warner felt his eyes sting as he closed them tightly.

_Wakko... Where are you?_

* * *

The past night had brought more nightmares, even worse than the ones the night before. Most of the time Wakko was afraid to even close his eyes, knowing that sleep would only bring more terror, and exhaustion was already wearing him down. Letting out a weary sigh, he rested his head on the table. If things went on like this, he wasn't sure how long he could stand it. Even more important, how could he find a way out of here when he could barely think?

"Don't let 'em think you're falling asleep." Alex sounded as tired as Wakko felt. "You'll get in trouble."

The middle Warner sighed and lifted his head, rubbing his heavy eyes and glancing at Jarod to make sure he wasn't nodding off.

"What will they do if they catch us sleeping?" Wakko tiredly asked.

"They beat the shit out of you with a bat. A few kids fell asleep before you got in here, it wasn't pretty."

Wakko cringed.

"I don't get it…" he mumbled. "What're they doin' to us?"

"Hell if I know." Alex grumbled. "Probably just screwing with our minds so that we don't try to escape or some shit."

Wakko rubbed his eyes and look around. Every kid in the room was completely out of it. Dark circles and droopy eyelids made them look almost like zombies.

"This is so fucked up." Alex said angrily. "These nightmares don't even feel like normal ones. Usually, when I have a bad dream, I can get back to sleep just fine. Not this time though, these dreams are beyond realistic. It feels unnatural."

"What are you saying?" Wakko asked.

"I'm saying that they're fucking with our heads. They WANT us to be sleep deprived, only problem is I have no idea why." Alex slouched back down in his chair.

Wakko rubbed his dreary eyes. "But why would they want us to lose sleep? What would that give them?"

"I told you, I don't know." Alex laid his head on the table. "I feel so useless. I'm just sitting by and watching as everyone turns into a fucking zombie."

Wakko sighed and rubbed his eyes. He knew exactly what Alex meant; in the past few days, just thinking was becoming a struggle. He felt so helpless, so useless, and he hated it. A tug on his sleeve made him look down at Jarod, who was looking up at him with damp eyes.

"We're gonna turn to zombies?"

Wakko tried not to smirk and shook his head.

"Nah, that's just a way of saying you're really tired."

Alex smirked as he leaned in close to Wakko.

"Hey, do you think maybe there is a way we could avoid getting our injections?" Alex whispered.

Wakko's ears perked up slightly. "And how do you suppose we do that?"

"Well... we could try hiding. Maybe we could lie and say we already got our injection."

"But what will they do to us if we get caught?" Wakko asked with a scared look.

"I... I don't know, but it's a chance that I'm willing to take if it means that I might get a decent nights sleep."

"But what if they kill you?! What if they do something much worse?!" Wakko asked nervously.

"Look, you don't have to join me..." Alex quietly whispered.

"I'm trying to save you from something horrible! We have no idea what these people are capable of!" Wakko's voice raised, but was soon silenced as Alex shoved his hand on Wakko's mouth.

"You need to be quiet. I already have a plan..." Alex explained.

"And that is?"

"Well... uhh... the line of kids that already got their injection is right next to the line of kids waiting for theirs. Once I get close enough, I'll just slip into the other line and get lost in the crowd. It'll be easy."

Wakko sighed. "Look, Alex, I know a few things about tricking and I don't think it'll be that easy to fool these people. But if you wanna risk trying it, I guess I can't stop you."

Alex sighed and glared at Wakko. "Fine, I will."

Wakko felt a little bad, but his mind was set. He couldn't explain why… normally he'd be perfectly willing to jump into a situation like this, but everything in his gut was telling him not to take the risk. He wanted to do something to stop Alex, but he knew the brown bunny wouldn't listen to him.

After a few minutes, the guards began rounding everyone up into line.

While everyone moved into line, Wakko forced himself not to look at Alex so it wouldn't draw attention. He hoped he was wrong, maybe there was a chance it could work. As soon as all the guards' heads were turned, Alex started to slip out into the other line.

Wakko's heart nearly stopped as Alex appeared to have made it. He shuffled himself in line with the rest of the kids, and had his head down low as to make sure not to capture anyones attention.

Wakko smiled, but that smile was soon replaced with disappointment as a guard snatched his hand and injected the same fluid as before.

Wakko sighed, maybe he would try and get out of the injection tomorrow.

Once Jarod received his injection, they moved to the other line. Wakko bit back a groan as Alex came up with a small but satisfied grin.

"Told ya," he whispered.

Wakko glared at him, but before he could reply Jaron started sniffling. Wakko sighed and gave his shoulder a gentle pat.

"So, you might get a good nights sleep, what is that gonna do?" Wakko asked.

Alex sighed. "It might not do anything, but dammit if it won't be good." Alex responded.

The kids were then quickly slip up and sent back to there rooms. Wakko sighed; taking note on the fact that everyone was sent to bed earlier than usual this time.


	18. Chapter 18

Yakko sighed as he rubbed his eyes. Sleep had done its best to avoid him that night, as usual, but this time it wasn't just because of the constant worry. He kept thinking about that strange whirring sound last night in the kitchen. It would've been easy to dismiss it as just a sleep-induced delusion, but something was telling him it was more than that. Warners had instincts about these things.

He groggily crawled out of bed and made his way to the kitchen. Sighing, he threw together a sandwich and almost as soon as he took a seat, the phone rang. Sighing with annoyance, Yakko stood back up and answered the phone.

"What do you want?"

Harold's voice came from the other end.

"You need to come to the station. We might have a lead on your brother."

Yakko's heart was in his throat as he tried to mumble out a response. "W-What?"

"We have some information that I think you might want to hear!" Harold responded.

Yakko didn't respond, he just hung up. His heart pounded as he dashed into Dot's room.

"DOT! WAKE UP!"

Dot jolted out of her sleep, startled. "Huh... wha..."

"WE HAVE TO GO! THEY HAVE A LEAD ON WAKKO!"

Dot's sleepiness vanished and she leaped out of bed. The two of them didn't even stop to brush their teeth before they ran out the door...

* * *

A bizarre combination of anxiety and excitement filled Harold's emotions. Things were finally starting to go his way. After a couple weeks of nothing turning up, he finally managed to get some dirt on these guys. They might actually have a lead, even if it is a fairly small one.

He sat up in his chair and took another giant gulp of his coffee. The warm fluid was a comforting sensation, and it was also something necessary to keep him awake. After all, he worked long hours trying to find the kidnapped toons.

He was no stranger to long, difficult hours of work, but this was probably the biggest case he'd ever had. It wasn't just some burglar or killer he was tracking down, it was something more… something bigger.

He felt a big sense of honor and pride when he was put on this case, especially since it involved the Warners. He had been a fan of their show, and getting to be the investigator for a celebrity isn't something that happens everyday.

However, when he first met Yakko, he was saddened to see him in such a depressed and helpless state. He knew the Warners were people just like him, and it was selfish expecting Yakko to be the same happy character that he was on Animaniacs, but it still hurt nonetheless.

"Harold," said a police officer. "The Warners are here to see you."

Harold snapped out of his thoughts. "Finally! Send them in!"

The officer nodded and exited the room. Harold took a final swig of the bitter coffee and tossed the styrofoam cup into a small plastic garbage bin. He stood as the Warners entered the room.

"Good morning Yakko, good morning Dot." He shook each of their hands. "Please, take a seat, I have some information I think you might like to hear."

"About Wakko?" Dot whimpered.

"Yes Darling, about Wakko." Harold said confidently.

"So what is it?" Yakko asked, trying his best to not let his emotions get the best of him.

"Well, you see, the family of one of the kidnapped victims recently discovered that their house had been bugged."

"Umm... what?" Yakko asked.

"Ya know, 'bugged'. It means that they had several tiny microphones placed throughout their house."

Dots eyes widened, but Yakko remained unimpressed.

"And that means?"

"Well, you see, the technology that we have means that we could possibly track the source of the microphones. We think it has something to do with the group behind these kidnappings."

Yakko sat up in his chair.

"Wait... so you mean these people have been spying on us?"

Harold looked at him, his brows furrowed.

"What do you mean 'us'?"

Yakko shifted, scratching the back of his head.

"Well, I… I've been hearing these weird whirring noises at night. I thought it was just my imagination, but I've been hearing it a lot recently."

Dot looked at him, startled.

"What? Why didn't you tell me?"

Yakko placed a hand on her shoulder, looking guilty.

"Well... I didn't want you to be scared."

Dot was about to respond, but Harold interrupted.

"Yakko, you need to let us search your house. If more than one victim has been bugged, then this could be more serious than we thought."

It was unnerving to think of the police going through the tower, but Yakko didn't really care. If it would get his brother back, he'd let them dig through anything. He glanced at Dot, who nodded in agreement.

"Okay," he said. "I heard the noises in the kitchen, by the fridge."

Harold nodded, rising from his chair.

"All right. If it's okay with you, I'd like to do it right away. We need to follow up on any lead as soon as possible."

Yakko felt a lump of fear in his stomach, but swallowed and nodded. He just hoped this would finally get them the lead needed to get Wakko back.

* * *

Wakko couldn't remember ever being so tired in his life. His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and if he closed his eyes he was afraid he would fall asleep while walking. Rubbing his eyes, he glanced at Jarod. The little boy was almost asleep on the chair, so Wakko gave him a gentle nudge. With a soft, whining groan, Jarod opened his eyes.

"M' tired…"

Wakko sighed, managing a slight smile.

"I know, but w-we're gonna get in trouble." Wakko managed to slur out.

His drooping ear twitched at the sound of approaching footsteps and looked up. Alex was approaching the table. He was being careful to shuffle his feet and gaze downward, but Wakko could see a brightness in his eyes that spoke to a good night's sleep.

Alex sat down and smirked at both of them. Quietly, he says "Well, you two look tired..."

Wakko glared at him.

"No need for the angry looks. The nightmares still hit me, just not as hard."

"Thats... great. So you got a good nights sleep. Now what?" Wakko asked emotionless.

"Duhhhh, I'm gonna do it again tonight. Fuck the notion of 'no sleep', I'm gonna be energized as hell and then I'm gonna escape. Maybe I'll take you two with me."

Wakko glared even more. "You're never gonna get out of here. You're just gonna get caught and then something worse is gonna happen to you."

Alex leaned closer. "And what do you expect me to do? Just sit here and let them fuck with our heads?"

"Well, why not? What if this is all some big test? What if they let us go once they're done?" Wakko tried his best to sound hopeful, even though deep down he knew it wasn't true.

"They must have doubled the dosage yesterday, because you're even more batshit than usual. You don't honestly think they're just gonna 'let us out' right?"

Wakko slumped in his chair. Even to his own ears, his voice sounded more defeated than ever.

"No... I don't."

A quiet sniffling sound made his drooping ear perk, and he glanced down to see Jarod looking up at him. The dark circles under his wide, teary eyes made him look more afraid and sad than ever.

"W-we're... not goin' home?"

Wakko felt like the worst person in the world. If he didn't have that weird bracelet on, he would have smacked his head with his own mallet. After a few awkward moments, he gave Jarod a gentle pat on the shoulder and turned back to Alex. Taking a deep breath, he leaned closer and lowered his voice.

"So, what's this 'plan'?"

"First of all, you two need to sneak out of your injections. We can't escape if you two are passing out every thirty seconds." Alex responded.

Wakko sighed. "And how are we suppose to do that?'

"Just follow my lead."

"Alright, but what about after that?"

"Well, after you both get a good nights sleep, we're gonna smash the shit out of these damned bracelets. Once you smash the bracelet, you're gonna want to use your mallet to knock out the guard when he comes to collect you." Alex explained.

Wakko's eyes widened. He'd never used his mallet for real combat like this.

Wakko's eyes widened. He'd never used his mallet for real combat like this. As for the bracelet, he couldn't think of a way to get it off even when he wasn't ready to fall on his face. But he could tell that Alex was much more clear-headed, and if there was a chance it would get them out of here...

Taking a deep breath, Wakko released a quiet sigh and nodded.

"Any idea how to smash the bracelet?"

Alex sighed. "Well... cant you just smash it against the wall or something?"

"Don't you think I already tried that? It's made of steel, and none of us are strong enough to smash through steel. We'd break our own wrist before we broke this thing."

"Ugh..." Alex laid his head on the table. "Well, do you have any better ideas?"

After a brief moment of silence, Jarod spoke up. "Cant we just steal a key from a guard?"

Alex shook his head. "No. The guard would probably realize it was gone."

Another brief moment of silence passed before Wakko stood up.

"I've got an idea!"

"Sit down, you're gonna get us in trouble." Alex hissed.

Wakko looked around, noticing that everyone was staring at him. Shyly, he crept back into his seat.

"Now, tell me your idea, but do it quietly." Alex said.

"Alright. How about we take the key from the guard, unlock all of our bracelets, and then return the key? We can keep the bracelet on until we get back to our rooms, and then we can just take it off!"

Alex stared at Wakko in disbelief. "Well shit, why didn't I think of that? That might actually work..."

Wakko nodded.

"I think I can get a key... I'm pretty good at doing stuff like that."

Alex squinted at him, clearly doubting it.

"Yeah? How good are you?"

"I took a guy's belt once, and he didn't notice."

Alex glared.

"While he was wearing it..."

Alex smiled. "Well damn, I guess it looks like you're gonna be stealing us a key."

Wakko smiled.

"Just... be careful. God knows what they'll do to you if they catch you."


	19. Chapter 19

Yakko scratched the back of his neck in anticipation as swarms of police officers climbed the ladder to the top of the tower. He never liked the idea of people going through his stuff. He knew he had nothing to hide, but it still made him nervous.

"What do you think is gonna happen?" Dot asked him, tightly holding his hand.

Yakko gave his sisters hand an affectionate squeeze.

"I'm not sure, Dot." He responded with little emotion. His sister sighed and leaned against his side.

"Why can't we go in?"

Yakko sighed. They had been told that they were to wait outside while the investigation was taking place. He wasn't sure why, but he knew they must have a reason.

"They probably don't want us to get in the way or touch anything. It might mess with evidence or something."

Dot sighed. "So we're just supposed to stand out here and wait?!"

"Pretty much."

Yakko sat down on the asphalt and pulled Dot into his lap. Resting his head on her shoulder, he tried his best to look on the bright side of things.

But all he could think of was how long it had been since Wakko was taken from them... several weeks, in fact. He missed him so much that he could barely take it. Him and Wakko always had a special relationship that many siblings didn't have. They didn't always get along, but they both loved each other dearly. Even though Wakko didn't always like to admit it, he was still Yakko's baby brother.

Yakko tried to remember the last interaction he had with him.

_"That kind of language is NOT to be used in the house!"_

_"I'm sorry Yak! I didn't know!"_

Yakko cringed; the last thing he could remember of his little brother was an argument. Biting his lip, he blinked back a tear.

"Hey, Yakko! You two can come up now!"

Yakko was snapped out of his thoughts as he looked up to see Harold waving at them from the balcony of their water tower.

"O-Okay, we'll be up in a second!" Yakko responded as happily as he could manage.

He stood up and took Dot by the hand. They made their way up the tower and stepped into the house. They were greeted by a smiling Harold and six police officers who were still searching.

"All right, I have good news and great news. Which would you like first?"

Yakko raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Umm, lets hear the good news first..."

"Alright, then. First of all, your house has been bugged. VERY bugged, as a matter of fact."

The eldest Warner stared at the man in complete disbelief. How could he possibly sound so happy about that?

"And in what universe is that good news?!"

Harold raised a hand.

"Hold on now, that's VERY good news. Like I said, we can track the source of the bugs. All we need to do is take them to the station and find out where the signal is leading to."

At the sound of that, Yakko felt his heart begin pounding. Was it possible that now, finally, they could find out where Wakko was? Would they be able to bring him home? Tempting as it was to place every hope in that idea, the ever present fear kept Yakko from letting himself fully believe it.

"And..." He swallowed to ease the tremor of his voice. "Then what?"

Harold gave him an encouraging smile and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Then, with a little luck, we might find both your brother and whoever's responsible for this."

Dot's face lit up like a christmas tree. "Well then, what are we waiting for?! Lets go!"

"Now hold up, we're just waiting for our officers to finish sweeping this place." Harold gave Dot a friendly smile.

Yakko rubbed his eyes. This was the biggest ray of hope he had been given since Wakko was taken, and he dearly hoped that it's not in vain.

* * *

Wakko sighed as he tiredly trudged over to the group of children as they were once again lined up for their shot. The plan was simple; discreetly switch to the line of kids that already got their shots, snatch a guards keys, unlock his, Jarod's, and Alex's power suppressors, and quietly place the keys back on the guard.

It was a lot easier said than done.

The first part was easy, especially since Wakko was considerably shorter than most of the other kids. However, that was not the case with the second part.

The guard was on the outside of the group of children, making sure that everyone stayed in a straight line. Wakko was going to need to get to the edge of the group, and then he would have to take the keys as quickly as possible. Despite the exhaustion threatening to fog his mind, he ordered himself to stay focused. This might be the only chance he'd have to see his family again, to get his friends out of here. Keeping a close eye on the guard, Wakko shuffled as close to the edge of the line as he dared. Then, the moment the man's eyes shifted away, he darted toward the other line. His stomach lurched when he stumbled, both from exhaustion and the strange sensation of not going as fast as he wanted to. If they got out of this, he'd never take toon speed for granted again.

Skidding to a stop, he slid in line with the children who had already received the shots. Those close by gave him startled looks, but no one said anything; either they guessed he was up to something or were just too tired to raise attention. Trying hard to catch his breath subtly, Wakko glanced over at the guard. His tense shoulders loosened just a little when he saw that the man was scanning the group with his usual half-alert, half-bored manner. Apparently, loosing his toon speed hadn't cost him the ability to be light on his feet.

Now for the next step of the plan... grab the key. Wakko followed the guard's movement as close as possible without rousing suspicion, silently counting the seconds he spent looking in a particular direction. All of a sudden the boy next to him stumbled, shuffling his feet loudly as he did so, and fell on his hands and knees. Wakko stared in surprise, then noticed that the guard was approaching. He quickly adopted an indifferent look, scanned the man's belt and spotted the key ring. Praying that the right one was on it somewhere, he waited until the guard bent down and grabbed the other child's arm.

With one quick, fluid movement, Wakko's hand zipped forward and snatched the key ring off the belt without a single noise. As he slipped it under his shirt, the guard pulled the fallen boy up.

"C'mon, kid, on your feet."

Once the guard turned away, the boy glanced at Wakko. He returned the look with a quick smile, and the other kid flashed him a tired grin.

Wakko kept both of his hands under his shirt as he tried to shove each key into the tiny keyhole. After a few attempts, one of them slid in. Wakko held his breath as he slowly turned it. A faint clicking sound was made as the key was turned all the way, and Wakko smiled as he felt the tension on the bracelet release.

Making sure to keep his pace slow as not to attract attention, he shuffled over to the table that Alex and Jarod were now sitting at. Alex leaned forward, just managing to hide his eager expression.

"So, did you get it?"

Wakko smiled and nodded. Alex grinned ear to ear and his wrist shot out.

"Holy shit! Unlock me!"

Wakko shushed him as he took a seat. After a quick look at the guard, he discreetly took Alex's wrist and unlocked the suppresser, then did the same with Jarod's.

Alex smirked as he flexed his hand.

"One down. Now you better move and get it back."

Wakko nodded, then looked for the guard. His stomach gave a nervous twist when he saw the man approaching their table, and for one awful second he thought he'd screwed it up. Then he realized the guard was walking at his usual pace, glancing around at the other kids. Tensing his fist, Wakko waited as the guard moved closer, and the moment he passed he slipped the keys back on the belt with the same fluid, soundless motion.

Once the guard was out of earshot, Alex gave Wakko an impressed grin.

"Damn... you ARE good."

Jarod nodded, his eyes wide, and Wakko couldn't hold back a proud smirk. Alex jerked his head, and both Wakko and Jarod leaned in to listen as he whispered.

"Okay... now once they get us back, we get out quiet as we can and look for a way outta this hellhole. Any sign of trouble, mallets out. Got it?"

Wakko and Jarod nodded just before the guard's voice rang out.

"All right, everyone up! Let's go!"


	20. Chapter 20

Wakko took a deep breath as he sat on the bed, his ears pricked for any stray sound. In his mind, he ran through every scenario he could think of, any mistake or slip up that might complicate the escape. He was uneasy at the fact that he had no real idea of what means these creeps were using to monitor them, but now that he and the others had their toon abilities back the odds in their favor were far better.

A faint buzzing sound interrupted Wakko's thoughts. The lights out signal. With another deep breath, he eased the bracelet off his wrist and placed it on the bed. Before separating, he had convinced Alex that it was better to leave the bracelets in their cells rather than smash them; odds were there were trackers in them, and this might at least buy them time. Moving to the door with soft footsteps, Wakko hesitated to gather his nerves before using his toon abilities to slip through the tiny crack at the bottom of the door. This ability was a pretty basic one, so luckily both Alex and Jarod could do it as well. They all knew the way to the main hall by now, so that was where they'd agreed to meet up.

He slipped underneath the door with ease and took a quick look around.

Darkness. Nothing but darkness filled Wakko's vision. He blinked a few times and let his eyes adjust, barely able to see a few feet infront of him. He bit his lip as he silently started to creep his way to the main hall. Fear filled his heart as he was able to hear the faint sobs of the other children. Fear and sorrow, for not being able to help them. He knew that having anymore than three people escape would raise a red flag, and that was a risk that he was simply not willing to take. He knew in his mind that he would be able to get help and save them, he just hoped that it wouldn't be too late by then.

The sobs started to fade as he got closer to his goal. All that was stopping him was two guards, one on each side of the entrance. He sighed; the darkness keeping him hidden. He didn't want to have to use his mallet yet. He knew that violence would only alert other guards, and that was something that he wanted to wait until they were closer to escaping.

He looked at the giant light hanging above the guards. He figured he could pull a slingshot out of his hammerspace and shoot it out, enabling him to slip by undetected. A slingshot wasn't something that he used often, but he still carried one around just in case.

He sighed with relief as his hand entered his hammerspace. This was a feeling that he had longed to have again, and finally having access to all of his weapons and gags meant that escape would be that much easier.

Pulling out his slingshot and a small pebble, he pulled the tight rubber back and placed the pebble in the pouch. Taking aim, he fired directly at the center of the lightbulb.

Wakko bit his tongue as the pebble flew through the air, hoping that the lightbulb wouldn't shatter and that it would merely break as to not make the guards think that someone shot it.

With almost perfect accuracy, the pebble pierced through the glass of the bulb, causing a loud 'dink' sound. Wakko cringed, hoping that the guards didn't notice.

Like a match into water, the light illuminating the area was instantly shrouded in darkness. Wakko smiled as he began to creep his way past the guards.

"Maintenance, we're at the entrance to the main hall. The light crapped out and we can't see shit, you think you could bring us a replacement?"

"Sure thing. I'll be right over."

Wakko took notice of the walkie-talkie. He knew now that the guards could communicate with each other, and that they would have to be especially careful not to be detected. Taking a deep breath, he darted past the guards on silent feet. There was a brief moment of fear that they'd heard, but no sound came from behind.

He tip-toed through the dark corridors. Large potted-plants and benches lined up again the walls. Doors leading to unknown locations appeared between each bench. Wakko squinted his eyes as he tried find his two friends in the darkness.

Suddenly, a hand from behind covered his mouth as he felt the breath of another person on his neck. He almost screamed, but he quieted once he realized who it was.

"Shh, don't make any sounds." Alex whispered. "There are guards behind each of these doors."

Wakko made a faint whimper as Alex tightened his grip on his mouth. He slowly guided Wakko to a small janitors closet that was in the corner of the main hall.

"Listen to me. I'm going to let go of your mouth, and when I do, you will talk as quietly as you can manage. Jarod is in that closet and he's scared shitless, so I need you to calm him down so his crying doesn't alert anyone."

With that, Alex removed his hand from Wakko's mouth.

"Why didn't _you_ calm him down?" Wakko whispered with annoyance.

"Believe me, I tried. Comforting isn't one of my strong suits." Alex responded as he slowly creaked open the door.

"I hope you never have kids." Wakko muttered under his breath.

Alex grumbled as Wakko slipped inside, his ears pricking at the sound of whimpers and sniffling. Scanning the dark space, he spotted Jarod curled up in a corner. As he approached, the younger boy looked up. His tear-filled eyes widened and Wakko smiled.

"Hey, don't be scared... it's gonna be okay."

Jarod sniffled, wiping his eyes.

"B-but... I-I can't do w-what you guys can."

Wakko patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry. You've got basic abilities, and that's all ya need. And you're quite talented, especially for your age." He smirked. "Trust me, I know."

"But... w-what if we get c-caught?" Jarod whimpered.

Wakko sighed. He too was absolutely terrified at the thought of getting caught, he just tried his best not to think about it.

Wakko crouched down so that he was at eye-level with Jarod. "That's not something you're gonna have to worry about, because we are NOT going to get caught."

He knew his words weren't certain. He knew that there was a chance that they could get captured. He doubted himself just as much as Jarod did.

Jarod sniffled and wiped away a tear. Wakko stood up and held his hand down to Jarod. "Come on buddy, we have to go now."

Wakko tried his best to sound comforting, but fear made that almost impossible.

Jarod nodded and took Wakko's hand, pulling himself up to his feet.

As they emerged from the closet, Alex diverted his attention from the hall and glanced at them with impatience.

"Can we get going already?"

Wakko gave him a warning glare before looking down at Jarod. The younger boy bit his lip, then nodded. After giving him a quick, reassuring smile, Wakko looked back at Alex.

"Ready."

With that, the three of them creeped their way down the main hall. They had no idea where they were going; they figured they could find a map of the facility or an exit to the outside. They would have to be quick though, sunrise was only a few hours away.

They came across a large door, similar to the one that Wakko entered to get into the main hall. They sighed, knowing that they found an exit.

Just as Alex was about to open the door, Wakko stopped him.

"Wait, what if someone is guarding the door?" Wakko said.

"You don't have to worry. I already used my mallet on those two guys."

Wakko glared. "What? Why?! That's just gonna cause attention!"

Alex crossed his arms. "Look, if there's one thing I'm really damn good at, it's using a mallet. Those guys will be lucky to wake up within six hours."

Wakko rolled his eyes. "Ugh, fine."

With that, the two of them slowly pushed the large wooden door open. They peaked through, the small lightbulb illuminating the area around the door.

"Wait, what did you do with their bodies?" Wakko asked.

"Easy. I stuffed them in the air duct." Alex replied.

_Air duct..._

Wakko's face lit up. "That's it! We can crawl through the air ducts!"

"Did you not hear me? I already stuffed two _fully grown_ men in there." Alex exclaimed.

"Alex, we're toons. We can still get by them."

Alex smirked. "I like your thinking, Wak."

Wakko felt a small twinge at the nickname... that was what his brother would call him. He felt tears threatening to fill his eyes, but pushed them back with a hard determination. It wouldn't be long now. They'd get out of here, and he'd see his family again.


	21. Chapter 21

Harold groaned as he downed his fourth cup of coffee. It had been five hours since the bugs were taken to the station and given to the computer geeks. He was beginning to grow impatient, waiting five hours without any information will do that to you. He could only imagine the kind of anxiety that Yakko and Dot must be feeling.

He leaned back in his chair and let out a hefty yawn, stretching his arms above his head. He then pulled out a cigar from a drawer on his desk and lit it with a small steel lighter that he pulled from his pocket. He coughed briefly as the first puff of smoke filled his lungs.

He didn't always smoke. It certainly wasn't an addiction of any kind. He only did it on days when stress got the better of him, and today was definitely one of those days.

He sighed as he technically wasn't supposed to smoke indoors, but he didn't care today. This was his office and he knew that anyone would be stupid to try and interfere with him with everything thats been going on.

He took another hit from the cigar and blew the smoke out; the smoke seemed to dance above him as it faded off into the ceiling. He closed his eyes and tried to relax as the strong aroma of cigar smoke filled the room.

He rubbed the back of his neck and stood up from his chair. He stretched his body and hastily exited the office. The trip from the hallway to the computer lab was short and uneventful, but the looks his fellow co-workers and detectives gave him was somewhat off putting. He shrugged it off.

Once he arrived at the entrance to the computer lab, he slid his I.D. card through a small electric key card reader. The glass doors made a quiet whooshing sound as they slid open.

Harold marched with his head held high into the large, clean room. The several men inside stared at him, all wearing white lab coats and black dress pants.

"Listen, I have been waiting an obligatory FIVE HOURS for you people to track a damn signal. This is something you all do pretty much everyday! So please try your best to explain, why in the _hell_ is it taking so damn long?!"

One of the men walked over to Harold. He stood in front of him confidently and began to speak. "With all due respect sir, this isn't something we do often. Tracking a signal with something as small as a bug is no easy task, but our men have managed to do it."

"Alright, then why have I not heard anything?"

"Actually sir, we were just about to go inform you of our findings." The man said politely.

Harold sighed with relief. "Ugh, alright, just tell me what you know."

"Very well. Take a seat, detective."

Harold sat down on a small metal chair in the corner of the room. The man pulled a chair in front of him and took a seat.

"Alright, this might sound strange, but the bugs were tracked to a place... outside of California."

Harold's eyes widened. "What?!"

"Do not fret, it's not far out. We tracked the signal to an area just past the US border."

"Canada?! You're telling me that the signal is coming from _Canada?!"_

"Yes sir, we were able to pinpoint the location to an area that was thought to be a barren wasteland of ice and snow."

Harold's leg began to shake with anticipation. He leaned in closer to the man and said, "Listen, I want helicopters, SWAT, sniper cover, hell, bring out a damn drone if we have to. I want that area searched _immediately."_

"We've already informed the Canadian Police Force, they said they would investigate."

Harold sighed. All he had to do now was wait - something he was all too familiar with.

* * *

"Move. Your. Ass." Alex whispered angrily as he tried to push Wakko out of the way.

"I can't go any faster! They will hear us!" Wakko responded as he continued to crawl.

"Fuck, why did I go in 2nd?"

"You know, your foul language isn't helping the situation!"

The three boys crawled through the seemingly endless string of air ducts, with Wakko in front, Alex in the middle, and Jarod behind. The three of them crawled as hastily as possible while still managing to be quiet.

Jarod, the youngest of the three, smirked at the bantering between Alex and Wakko. He was happy being the baby of the group, it meant that they both treated him a lot nicer than they did eachother.

However, it also meant that he felt a lot more helpless than them. He was considerably talented with toon powers, especially for his meager age, but his confidence was sorely lacking. Even though he was extremely talented, he was still too young to be able to use his powers to it's full potential.

Simple things like using a mallet, falling without being hurt, and creating pies were easy to him. More complicated things such as toonspeed, morphing his body, and painting doorways were still difficult for him and required intense concentration, something that he didn't have the pleasure of having at this moment. Morphing his body to get past the men that were stuffed in the air ducts wasn't an easy task. It took him longer than he had wanted, but with enough encouragement from Wakko, he finally managed to do it.

"I can't see shit in this godforsaken hell hole. Whose idea was it to crawl through this anyway?" Alex whispered.

"It was mine, and what other plans do you have? Wander around until we get caught?" Wakko responded with annoyance.

Jarod silently chuckled. Even though he wasn't confident with his own powers, he felt safe with Alex and Wakko. He knew Wakko from his TV show, and that alone was enough to show how talented he was. Alex, however, he didn't know. He assumed he was also extremely talented, and how quickly he was able to get passed the bodies was proof of his abilities.

"Umm, do you guys know where we're going?" Jarod quietly asked.

The two boys stopped arguing for a moment. Alex turned around and said "Just keep following us, buddy. We will eventually find a way out."

Wakko rolled his eyes at Alex's sudden change of tone. He went from angry and annoyed to sweet and gentle in a matter of seconds.

"You hear that? Even Jarod is concerned over your _brilliant_ plan." Alex said, the angry tone in his voice returning instantly.

"Shut up, I see a light up ahead." Wakko said, hoping that it's an escape from this nightmare.

Before Alex could get out another word, he saw the light. Smiling, he said "That damn well better be an exit, or else I'm gonna explode."

"You're in luck. It's an airvent." Wakko exclaimed as he got closer.

Jarod smiled and hoped that no guards were occupying the room that the vent lead in to.

Wakko approached the vent. Looking through it, he saw a small security room that currently had a single guard sitting on a chair and reading a magazine. On the computers were live video footage of the common room, the main hall, and two cell blocks.

"It's a security room. There is one man sitting down and monitoring the computers." Wakko explained.

Alex smiled. "Take him down. We don't want anyone looking through those cameras."

Jarod crawled closer to the both of them. "Wouldn't it be better to question him?"

Alex smirked at Jarod. "It would be, but I don't think we should take a chance. Alerting other guards is too risky."

Wakko sighed. "Alex is right. As much as I'd love to ask him a few questions, I don't think it's worth the risk."

Jarod sighed and nodded.

With that, Wakko quietly slipped through the vent, landing with a very faint 'thud' right behind the guard. Wakko cringed and held his breath; the guard did not budge.

Wakko quietly pulled his mallet out of his hammerspace and slowly held it back over his head. With as much force as possible, he slammed it against the side of the mans head, knocking him unconscious.

Jarod cringed; as much as he knew it was necessary, he still didn't like the idea of harming other people. He had hoped they would be able to convince the man to help them. He always believed in giving people a second chance, but that was clearly not an option at the moment.

Alex slid through the vent and landed gracefully on the chair that the guard was sitting on. "Not bad, Wak. From the looks of it, he's gonna be out for at least nine hours."

Wakko smiled and stood confidently. Getting a compliment from Alex was a nice change.

"But what are we gonna do with the body?" Wakko asked.

The room was small. A mess of monitors and computers littered the area in front of the chair, and an assortment of file cabinets was placed throughout the rest of the room.

"Nothing. We didn't kill him, we just knocked him out. We can just leave him in his chair and if anyone finds him it will look like he just fell asleep."

Wakko nodded. "Good thinking." He said. "How come Jarod hasn't come down?"

Jarod sighed. "I... I can't get through the v-vent!"

"C'mon bud, I know you can. You just have to focus." Wakko encouraged.

Jarod groaned, frustrated and embarrassed. He attempted to slip through, but failed. "I-I can't!" He said, frustration filling his tone.

"Hey, Jarod, just close your eyes and imagine yourself slipping through the vent. Breath slowly and concentrate entirely on that." Alex said.

Jarod closed his eyes and steadied his breathing. He imagined his body becoming liquid and easily passing through the vent.

"Keep your eyes shut and focus. As you imagine yourself sliding through the vent, feel yourself beginning to do just that."

Jarod's body went numb as he continued to focus. He clamped his eyes shut and felt his body begin to slowly move. Suddenly, he was falling. He groaned as he hit the ground and opened his eyes.

"Good job!" Wakko exclaimed as he helped Jarod stand. "Turning to liquid isn't something commonly done, but it works nonetheless."

Jarod stood proudly, happy that he didn't need Alex or Wakko to come up and save him.

Jarod felt a sense of pride and accomplishment. Slipping through something as small as an air vent was no easy task, and managing to do so made Jarod quite proud of himself.

"Alright, I turned the recording off on the cameras. They will still send a live feed here, but it wont record." Alex said.

"Good job. Anything else in here that we can use?" Wakko asked.

"Well... I found a set of keys on the guard, as well as this note." Alex handed Wakko the note.

_Dear fellow staff-_

_Our time is nearly here. The children are becoming exhausted, and soon they will be under our full control. Until then, I have a few things that must be said to you all:_

_1\. Food will be given in lesser quantities. Hunger will speed up the process._

_2\. If any of the children seem playful/energized, double the dosage for that child._

_3\. Any misbehaving child will be punished swiftly. If their disobedience persists, send them to me._

_4\. Interaction with the children will not be tolerated. Remember, what you're doing here is for the greater good. Their emotions mean nothing._

_5\. Mistreatment of the children will also not be tolerated. Your job is to simply make sure they behave and don't cause problems, not to torture them._

_6\. Do not enter my quarters passed 8:00 PM._

_7\. Sleeping on the job will result in a demotion._

_8\. If an emergency meeting is called, you are required to attend, no matter the circumstances._

_9\. The parfait in the greenroom is mine. Keep your filthy paws off it._

- _Sincerely, your faithful leader, Jenkins._

"Well what the hell does that mean?" Alex asked.

"I think it means that he doesn't want you to eat his parfait..."

Jarod giggled at Wakko's response, and Alex gave him a brief glare.

"Right, but who is 'Jenkins'"? Alex asked.

"I met him once before, when I first got here. He took me and Jarod on a tour of this place. He was eerily friendly, and he dressed like some kind of wannabe renaissance king." Wakko explained.

"I thought he was nice..." Jarod said quietly.

Wakko turned and made eye-contact with Jarod. With a gentle voice, he said "That's what he wants you to think. He wants you to trust him so he can manipulate you easier. As far as I'm concerned, everyone here is an enemy until proven otherwise."

Jarod sighed and nodded. His innocence blinded him from the truth about this place.

Wakko gave Jarod a warm smile and patted him on the head. "Alright guys, we need to get out of here. Take the keys, we will probably need them."

Alex nodded as the three boys made their way to the exit door.

Soon after they left the security room, a small convoy of guards almost spotted them, but Alex pulled them behind a potted plant in the dark corner of the hallway. They had to make a quick escape to the closest door, and that door led to a pitch-black dark room that smelled of rotting meat.

"It smells like shit in here." Alex complained, holding his nose.

"Just be quiet and try to find the light switch." Wakko commanded.

The three boys felt their way across the tile wall in search of a light switch.

Wakko tried his best to not breathe through his mouth. He had heard on a TV show that breathing through your mouth is actually worse when it comes to smells this strong; something about being able to taste it for a week or some crap like that.

He sighed and gagged, the terrible smell seeming to grow stronger as he searched the wall for a light switch.

"I found it!" Jarod said as he switched the light on.

Light illuminated the medium sized room, revealing piles of garbage and waste stacking almost all the way to the ceiling. Various moldy fruits and vegetables as well as rotten meat products leaked from the bags, causing flies to swarm and maggots to infest the rotten meats.

The three boys cringed and gagged, trying to not focus on the unsightly picture before them.

"That... that's just not right." Alex remarked.

"Ugh, just try and find a way out of here." Wakko said.

The three boys slowly searched the densely filled room. Piles of disgusting bags full of waste made their searching a bit more difficult.

Wakko sighed; he was definitely taking a shower as soon as he escaped.

"Hey guys, there's a door on the ground over here." Alex exclaimed.

Alex hastily pulled the door open, revealing a ladder that led to a dark pathway underneath the building.

Jarod and Wakko made their way over and glanced down.

"Uhhh, that looks really dark..." Jarod said fearfully.

"Yeah, that does seem kind of suspicious." Wakko said, trying to suppress his fear.

"Well, we have two choices; stay in here and pass out from the fumes, or explore the dark tunnel that could possibly lead to an exit." Alex explained as he crossed his arms.

Wakko didn't respond.

"Alright, I'll make the decision for you." Alex said as he started to climb down the ladder.

"Wait! What if something is down there?" Jarod asked, his voice briefly cracking.

"It's dark, and that means _nobody_ is down there. C'mon, I'll even go first." Alex said.

Wakko took Jarod's hand. "Come on, I'll help you down."

Jarod didn't respond, but instead gave Wakko a fearful look and nodded his head. He tightly gripped Wakko's hand and slowly but surely crawled his way down the ladder.

A small cloud of dust formed as his feet hit the ground.

"Alright guys, our eyes will adjust eventually. Lets just start walking." Alex said as he gulped.

Wakko pulled the door shut and began following behind Jarod.


	22. Chapter 22

The three boys continued their journey through the tunnel as they searched for an exit. Minutes went by before they finally approached a clear glass door that automatically slid open as they made their way closer.

"An automatic door? Seems kind of fancy for a dark, putrid shit hole." Alex smirked but was interrupted by a tsunami of light that engulfed his vision. The three boys groaned as the automated lights turned on, revealing a large, densely packed room with various lab equipment and papers flooding the area.

Wakko examined the room, noticing that many of the test tubes were filled with a murky fluid that looked exactly like the stuff they were being injected with.

"Shit!" Alex yelped in pain. Wakko turned towards Alex, who had just knocked one of the test tubes over.

"Calm down. It's just the medicine they give us." Wakko tried to sound reassuring.

"It fucking burns. Touch it." Wakko dipped the tip of his finger into the fluid, and while it didn't leave any marks on his skin, he did feel a burning sensation.

"What is it, Wak?" Jarod asked timidly.

"I'm not sure... It can't be dip, because that would hurt a lot more." Wakko tried sounding as confident and informed as he could.

"It feels like a shittier version of dip. Like, diet dip." Alex remarked.

Wakko rolled his eyes and continued exploring the room. The room smelled like nail polish remover and it was starting to give him a headache. He shuffled through papers filled with useless statistics and charts when he came across a large folder containing a rather fancy looking document.

_DEPARTMENT OF TOON MEDICAL SCIENCE:_

_CURRENT OPERATION: EMERGENCY DIP APPLICANTS (EDA)_

_CURRENT LOCATION: FORT SPUTNIK (15 MILES NORTH OF MONTANA/CANADIAN BORDER)_

_CURRENT STATUS: ACTIVE_

Wakko felt his stomach get tied into knots. He showed Alex and Jarod the paper, who didn't seem to understand the importance of the document.

"You guys... We aren't even in America anymore." Wakko explained with a shaky voice.

"Wait, so you mean to tell me that Jarod was taken from Florida, flown across the country into the icy hell of Canada, and was dropped off here without even waking up once?" Alex complained.

Jarod quietly stepped forward and said, "I did wake up... but they would just put me back to sleep."

Wakko was about to continue reading the document when he heard footsteps coming from the doorway. "Hide! Now!" He whispered as loud as he could.

Wakko leaped underneath one of the tables and pulled Jarod down with him. He pulled Jarod into a hug to keep him as quiet as possible, hoping that the automated lights wouldn't give away their positions. Meanwhile, Alex used his toon powers to slip himself inside of a locker on the far end of the room.

The sharp, distinct sound of dress shoes clacking on tile echoed throughout the lab. Wakko knew that only Jenkins wore such preposterous clothing on a regular basis, and his heart began to race as he heard the man walk eerily slow around the room.

"Boys... I know you're in here. I will not harm you if you just reveal yourselves." Jenkins spoke with a sense of calm that made Wakko shudder.

"Don't... move..." Wakko gripped Jarod tightly as he whispered into his ear. The young boy was terrified and was dangerously close to letting out a whimper.

"If you come out now, I won't punish you. I promise." Jenkins continued to walk around the room, each step making Wakko's heart race faster.

Wakko almost screamed as he heard the loud crash of a table being flipped over. Glass shattered across the floor and papers flew in the air as Jarod gripped Wakko tightly out of fear. "Shh... it's okay..." Wakko tried to comfort Jarod, but his own voice was etched with a shakiness that he couldn't control.

"I have a dip-gun with me, and I will use it if you try to attack. I know you took off your destabilizers." Jenkins then kicked over another table, this time one that was right next to Wakko and Jarod.

"STOP! PLEASE STOP!" Jarod sobbed.

Wakko's heart dropped.

"Don't hurt us, please!" Jarod begged as he crawled out from under the table. Wakko tried to grab on to him, but it was no use.

"You made a smart choice, child." Jenkins said in a comforting tone. "Now, get your black and white friend to come out too."

Wakko slowly crawled out from under the table, a disheartened and bitter look on his face as if he was ready to break down and cry as well as fight his way out.

"You boys had no business coming down here." Jenkins spoke strictly. He then turned his head and noticed the fancy document on the table that Wakko and Jarod were hiding under. "I see you boys found out where we are."

"Please, we didn't even look at it. You came in before I had a chance!" Wakko pleaded.

"It doesn't matter." Jenkins said with a harsh tone as two large guards came through the automated doors. "Take these two back to their cell. Give them a double dose injection on their way. Make sure you put their cuffs back on too."

Wakko's eyes widened. "What?! A double dose?! That'll kill us!"

Jenkins glared. "It won't kill you. I promise."

Jarod started sobbing as they were both dragged away. Wakko kicked and screamed like his life depended on it, but it didn't affect the guards in the slightest and Jenkins paid no attention to him. Then, he remember Alex, who was still in the locker. A ray of hope shot through him, followed by a sharp pain in his upper arm as he was given a rather large injection. He could tell he was given double the amount, as he could feel that similar burning sensation just underneath his skin.

Wakko and Jarod were then separated and thrown back into their cells. Alone and defeated, Wakko collapsed onto his mattress as tears silently escaped his eyes. All he could think about was Alex, hoping that he was okay and would come back for him...

* * *

Yakko gripped Dot's hand tightly as he stared out the window of the Helicopter, freezing and terrified. He had never actually flown in a Helicopter before, and even though he was not happy with the idea, he was not going to let his fears get in the way of reuniting with his baby brother sooner.

After a brief scan of the land via drone, Harold was informed that the building was a rather large, mostly underground medical facility. Upon further investigation, they witnessed one of the missing people enter the building. When Harold heard that, he knew they found them.

Yakko remembered the almost frantic excitement in Harold's voice when he explained what they found, and he never forgot the feeling of hope that surged through his body and mind. Dot even cried, which then made Yakko cry.

Harold said he was going to take the best men that the NSA had to offer and form a raid. He asked Yakko to come with him and stay behind at a nearby encampment so that he could see Wakko the moment he was rescued. Yakko gladly accepted, which led him to where he is now, about to shit himself from fear.

"A-Are we almost t-there?" Yakko used the headset to speak to the pilot.

"About two more miles north." The pilot spoke in a professional manner.

Dot was resting her head on Yakko's shoulder. She was amused by Yakko's anxiety towards flying, but she had to admit, it was nothing like flying in a plane. It was loud, bumpy, cold, and just scary. Much like Yakko, she felt an overwhelming sense of hope, but she was also afraid for Wakko. Thoughts of the horrors that Wakko may have gone through filled her mind as she tried to push them away, but she just couldn't. She had no idea what Wakko will be like when they find him, and she worried that he will be hurt beyond repair.

"Preparing to land. Hold on to your restraints." The pilot announced.

Harold was startled awake by the sudden commotion. He held onto his restrains as the helicopter lowered to the earth. Sitting on the opposite side of Yakko, he took notice of Yakko's nervous shaking.

"We're here, kids. When we land, I'm going to get into a jeep and head with the team to the facility. You two will follow the pilot. He's gonna take you to a safe area where you both can rest for a bit." Harold spoke with confidence, but Yakko could sense a layer of fear in his voice.

The next hour went by in an instant for Yakko. Before he even had time to get his bearings, he was being taken with Dot to a small nearby encampment filled with basic white tents. Inside one of the tents was two small, twin-sized beds where he was to stay with Dot during their visit. He sat down on the bed and laid his head onto his hands while Dot laid down in her bed. Unable to do anything except wait, the two Warner siblings fell asleep, exhausted but hopeful.

Meanwhile, Harold's leg shook with nervous energy as he rode in the back of a large jeep alongside four other men. They were in a large caravan of soldiers and officers traveling to the location of the facility with hopes of saving the missing children. Harold was told that he is just an investigator and he does not need to put his life at risk, but he had insisted on joining the men. With his gun sheathed in his left pocket and his eyes fixated on the approaching building, he mentally prepared himself for whatever conflict was about to arise.

As each vehicle surrounded the facility and each man took their positions around the parameter, Harold couldn't help but feel a sense of dread as he exited the vehicle. He was the only man in the squadron without a military-grade automatic weapon. Because of his ability to negotiate and use his words as a means of exchange, he was being sent to the front entrance with a megaphone with hopes to communicate with anyone inside the facility before any shots were fired.

"We have the place surrounded. Any attempts to resist will result in the use of lethal force. Please, we just want the children released. We know they are inside." Harold pleaded, but no response was given.

"Whoever is in charge, please exit the building. We only want to talk." Harold began to grow angry at the lack of response.

"This is your final warning! If no discourse is made, we will enter with lethal force if needed!" Harold was shouting into his megaphone at this point.

Just as Harold prepared to grab his weapon, the small entrance to the facility opened up and a man wearing fancy, silk clothing exited with his hands in the air.

"Please, stop. Let us discuss this." The man shouted.

Harold slowly approached the man. "What is your name? What role do you have here?"

"My name is Jenkins. I am the overseer of this facility. Please, you don't understand the importance of what we are doing here." Jenkins spoke with a level of sincerity that made Harold shiver.

"Important enough to steal children from their home? Important enough to cause unimaginable worry and pain in the lives of their loved ones?" Anger burned through Harold's words as he responded.

"You do not understand, sir. The children were going to be released. We only need them for a short period of time." Jenkins hands began to slowly lower as he spoke.

"You expect me to believe that? What kind of shit are you doing here anyway?"

"Let me show you." Jenkins spoke calmly. "I am going to reach into my pocket and hand you a document." Jenkins shaky hands slowly etched their way into his pocket as Harold put his hands on his gun, preparing for a sudden attack. Jenkins pulled out a small document which Harold hastily snatched out of his hands.

Harold, still keeping one hand on his weapon, began reading the document.

_DEPARTMENT OF TOON MEDICAL SCIENCE:_

_CURRENT OPERATION: EMERGENCY DIP APPLICANTS (EDA)_

_CURRENT LOCATION: FORT SPUTNIK (15 MILES NORTH OF MONTANA/CANADIAN BORDER)_

_CURRENT STATUS: ACTIVE_

_OBJECTIVE: PERFECT THE DIP SOLUTION VACCINE_

_NOTE FROM THE OVERSEER:_

_Toon scientists have recently discovered that injecting a low-percentage dip solution into the ink-stream of toon's helps fight off 95% of major toon illnesses. Despite the effectiveness of the treatment, side effects tend to be extreme. Nightmares, twitching, burning sensations, the loss of basic toon abilities, and, in rare cases, extreme reactions leading to death are still major issues that must be dealt with before administering the vaccine to the public. In this facility, we have a total of 75 extremely talented toons to use for experimentation, and 25 humans with toon capabilities as a control. The vaccine is not yet perfected, but we are unable to make any improvements unless real, live subjects are used for research. Remember, what you are doing may seem horrible in the moment, but you will be saving countless lives by completing the task._

"Sir, as you can see, what we do here is of the upmost importance."

Harold dropped the paper in disbelief, his mind being flooded with doubts and confusion. "You're... you're experimenting on children?"

"A necessary evil. What we are doing here will save lives across the world." Jenkins folded his hands together.

Harold felt his heart racing. "What you're doing is illegal."

"American laws restricted us from obtaining the funding we needed, which is why the location of our facility is just beyond the border."

"I can't let you continue with this. I am here to bring a hundred missing children home, and I am not leaving without them." Harold's voice changed from confused to stern in a matter of an instant, which earned an angry expression from Jenkins.

Jenkins stepped forward and used his pointer finger to push back on Harold's chest. "You don't have a choice."

In a matter of an instant, Jenkins fell to his knees as he pulled a small dip-gun from his pocket. He fired a shot into Harold's left shoulder, causing him to let out a loud, painful scream. Just as Jenkins began to run back to the door of the facility, a bullet shot by one of the surrounding officers wizzed past Harold and pierced all the way through Jenkins right leg, causing a scream and a small trail of blood to follow the man as he limped through the entrance.

Adrenaline took over Harold's body as he unsheathed his gun and followed the soldiers as they enclosed upon the entrance, guns in hand and ready for a fight.


	23. Chapter 23

_Burning cities, heaps of people screaming and running frantically to find a way out._

_Abandoned, alone, unloved and unwanted. A waste of space._

_Loved ones passing tragically, dying alone and afraid._

_Helpless, hopeless, and utterly doomed._

Wakko sobbed as he buried his face into the pillow on his mattress. The double injection made his nightmares all the more terrifying and realistic as he felt completely unable to escape the horror of the visions clouding his mind. His body was growing frail and sickly. He knew that the dip solution was causing it, but he was still imprisoned by his thoughts. It was beyond a bad dream at this point, it was a living nightmare.

Angry and terrified, he threw his pillow across the room and pulled on his floppy ears. Utterly exhausted but completely unable to close his eyes due to fear, the boy just laid down and cried. The nightmares started to distort and bastardize happy memories and thoughts. The image of his siblings was replaced with a horrifying monster, and every thought of food was turned to a disgusting pile of waste. He felt like he was going to lose his mind, when suddenly, he heard a knock on his cell door.

Weak and afraid, he nearly crawled his way to the door when suddenly it was thrown open. Wakko's eyes widened when he saw Alex on the opposite side with a terror-stricken and sickly looking Jarod in his arms.

"But... how..." Wakko's words were weak and stilted.

"I stole a guard key and found the exit, but theres gunfire and shit going on." Alex explained.

Wakko gave a weak grin to Alex, not really comprehending the words he was speaking.

"You... c-came back for u-us..." Wakko leaned against the wall, barely able to stand up on his own.

Alex smiled at Wakko. "Of course I did. I wasn't gonna just leave you with these freaks."

Wakko gave a sweet smile before closing his eyes. His mind was instantly filled with horrific images and sounds, causing him to whimper as he was startled back awake.

"Jesus Wak... c'mon, we're getting you two home, I promise." With that, Alex put his arm around Wakko to help stabilize him as they started walking down the hall. Alex tried his best to hide himself and the two boys whenever a guard would run by, but nobody seemed to pay them any attention. His breathing began to grow rapid as the weight of Jarod and Wakko started to slow him down, but adrenaline had already taken over and he knew that this was a do or die situation.

"YOU!"

Alex jumped as he heard a loud, angered voice scream from behind. Turning his neck, he saw a bloodied Jenkins limping his way towards them. Alex tried his best to run.

"Stay the FUCK back!" Alex screamed.

Suddenly, without warning, Alex felt a sharp, burning sensation in his left leg that caused him to fall to the ground, bringing Jarod and Wakko with him. As he hit the ground, he saw Jenkins pointing a small dip-gun at them.

"You motherfucker!" Alex screamed as he held his leg.

Jenkins walked up to them, completely emotionless and ignoring Alex's screams and insults.

"I never wanted to hurt any of you." Jenkins coldly said. "Now, I have no choice." As he spoke, he grabbed Wakko by the scruff of his neck, eliciting a faint whimper as Wakko weakly tried to fight the strong grasp of the man.

"No! You asshole! Stop!" Alex screamed at Jenkins as he tried to stand up, but his leg was too injured to support his body weight. He collapsed to the ground as tears began to fill his eyes.

"Please! I'm b-begging you! Don't hurt h-him!" Alex wasn't used to the feeling of crying. Tears began to stream down his face and dampen his fur as Jenkins coldly walked off with Wakko. Alex crawled, kicked, and screamed, but was completely helpless due to the dip wound on his leg.

He fell onto his back, sniffling and sobbing as he looked at Jarod who appeared completely lifeless. Alex scooted himself closer to the young human boy and grabbed his hand.

"I'm so... s-sorry."

With that, he pulled Jarod into a hug, who laid there in his arms completely broken.

* * *

Harold's ears rang as a combination of explosions, gunfire, and shouting filled his ear drums. His hands clenched his weapon as he followed along the backside of a group of seven soldiers.

When the gunfire started, the surrounding soldiers used explosives to break through the walls of the facility while Harold and a small squad entered in through the door. Guard upon guard poured out into the open, all using their weapons in an attempt to fight back against the invading soldiers. As Harold and his squad went deeper into the facility, he began to notice hallways filled with cells. Anger filled him as he imagined all the children that must be trapped inside them. Whatever the reasons, nothing was worth the fear and pain these kids were going through.

"Movement ahead!"

The soldier's words broke into Harold's thoughts, and his eyes immediately went to the corridor ahead. There was a small over-head arch that led into a separate hallway, and sure enough, he could see movement stepping out from the shadows. He lifted his gun, ready to fire it in a second if necessary. The soldiers aimed their weapons, but Harold's heart sank as he saw what was coming towards them.

The man that Harold shot - Jenkins, was slowly approaching them with a bitter, angry expression and a frail, sickly looking Wakko in his hands, held up by the scruff of his neck. In Jenkins left hand was a dip-gun that he pointed towards Wakko, who was unresponsive.

"STOP!" Harold screamed as he halted the attack of his men, allowing Jenkins to step closer to them.

"Leave. Now. Or the boy dies." Jenkins deadpanned as he brought the dip-gun to Wakko's back, eliciting a whimper from the boy.

Harold lowered his weapon, but did not let go of it. "Please, stop. We can discuss this."

"There is no time for discussion. You've taken the lives of many men, don't let this boy die too." Jenkins coldly explained as he took a step closer to Harold.

A tear leaked from Wakko's eye as he groaned. "P-Please..."

Harold saw the expression on Wakko's face. The terror, the sadness, the longing for his loved ones. All those emotions burned through Wakko's voice as he said that one word. His heart ached for the boy, but his hands began to tremble as he looked into Jenkins eyes, seeing nothing but anger and frustration as he pushed the dip-gun harder against Wakko's back, causing him to tremble.

Wakko was inches from death. The world around him seemed to go completely numb as his eyes fell shut. Jenkins was holding him by the scruff of his neck, yet he no longer felt any pain. The dip solution scourged through his ink stream, but he no longer felt sick. The dip-gun was shoved against his back, but he wasn't afraid. All feelings began to disappear, one by one, as the boy began to fade into unconsciousness.

Wakko fell limp in Jenkins grasp, causing the man to take his gaze off of Harold for a brief moment as he tried to shake Wakko back awake.

Harold used the brief second of distraction as a chance for attack as he brought his weapon up and aimed it towards Jenkins' head. Within mili-seconds, Harold squeezed the trigger and sent a bullet flying through the ear, piercing Jenkins through the left side of his face. Jenkins didn't even have time to react as the bullet shot through the vital portion of his brain-stem, killing him instantly.

Wakko fell to the ground as Jenkins fell back in a heap, causing a sickening "thump" sound which echoed throughout the hallway. Harold was stunned for a brief second, but the site of an unmoving Wakko broke him from his paralysis.

"Break in every cell door. I want every child checked by a medic, now!" Harold's words rung in the ears of the soldiers as they began kicking in each door. Child upon child was carried from their cell, each one appearing weak and afraid, barely able to move.

Harold approached Wakko, who laid limp on the floor with his ears drooped beside him. His body was frail, and the white fur on his face was matted and dirty. Dark circles encased his eyes and his trademark blue sweater was worn and stained. Taking a deep breath, Harold put two fingers alongside Wakko's neck, checking for a pulse.

Harold gnashed his teeth as he initially didn't feel anything.

"C'mon, boy. Stay with me." Harold placed a hand on Wakko's shoulder and used his other hand to check again for a pulse. This time on his wrist.

Nothing.

"Shit..." Harold gulped. "Your sibs are out there. They came all this way to see you."

Harold choked back a sob.

"They miss you so much, Wak. All day everyday, they fought for you."

Harold tried to hold in another sob, but soon felt the sting of tears filling his eyes.

Just as Harold was about to break down, a medic knelt down on the opposite side of Wakko, carrying a small bag of first-aid equipment.

"Sir, all the children are alive and will recover. The dip-solution will eventually leave their body. However, we found two other boys outside of their cell - a brown bunny toon and a young, human boy."

Harold barely paid the medic any attention.

"The bunny was shot and injured, but is expected to make a full recovery. He has been administered a small amount of morphine and is being taken back to the medical station."

Harold clenched his hands, trying to focus on the words spoken by the medic.

"However, the other boy seemed to have been given a rather large dose of dip-solution recently, leaving him immobile and... seemingly, dead. He has been revived by a stimulus shot, but he is in critical condition. Humans just can't fight this stuff off like Toons can."

Harold's eyes widened as the medic took out a rather small syringe filled with a green substance - a stimulus shot. The medic took Wakko's wrist and poked through his skin with the small needle, injecting him with the green fluid. Harold then took his two fingers to the side of Wakko's neck and nearly jumped when he felt the distinct pulsations of a beating heart and an active ink-stream.

"C'mon, we gotta get him out of here." Harold took Wakko into his arms, cradling him like a sleeping baby as he ran out of the facility and into one of the large jeeps. The man driving the vehicle wasted no time revving up the engine as Harold sat in the passenger seat with Wakko limp in his arms.

Harold felt Wakko stirring as a soft, weak groan escaped the boys mouth.

"Hey, it's okay, you're safe now." Harold tried to sound reassuring.

Wakko's eyes briefly opened, just long enough to get a view of Harold and the vehicle surrounding him.

"What's... h-happening?" Wakko spoke in a soft whisper.

"You're safe now, Wak. We are with the police. Your siblings are waiting for you."

Wakko eyes opened again when he heard Harold mention his siblings.

"M-My... siblings?"

"That's right, Wak. They have been so worried about you." Harold smiled at the boy.

"W-Where are they?"

"They are at the medical station, waiting to see you."

A small tear escaped Wakko's eyes as he smiled.

Harold closed his eyes and laid his head against the chair. He took a deep breath, feeling for the first time that maybe everything was actually going to be alright. Wakko stirred again, but then fell limp. The faint, stilted breath of Wakko was a constant reassurance to Harold of Wakko's well-being. As long as he felt the boy breathe, he knew he was OK.

Harold felt a sense of peace and joy as he saw the large medical building approaching in the distance. It was a makeshift building, like something you would see at the local county fair, but it was the only sort of medical center within a fifty mile radius. Inside was several medical staff working to ensure the well-being of the rescued children. Beds were closely stacked along every possible space as several nurses and medics made their way around checking the vitals of all the kids.

Harold stepped out of the vehicle with Wakko in his arms. Standing in the far left corner, frantically scouring the hoards of children, was Yakko and Dot, who almost fell to their knees when they saw Harold enter with Wakko.

Yakko brought a hand to his mouth as he slowly approached them, his eyes wide and, for the first time, unable to find the right words to say.

"WAKKO!" Dot screamed as she ran towards them.

Harold dropped to his knees as he held Wakko, who was unresponsive.

"He's very sick. He needs to be hooked up to an IV."

Yakko and Dot both affectionately squeezed his hand as Harold laid the boy down onto an available mattress. Harold did his best to explain the situation as he mentioned the dip-solution and how they were pawns in a medical experiment. Yakko could hardly believe what he was hearing, but did his best to remain calm and understand what had happened to Wakko and the other children.

"You two need some time with him." Harold said as he placed his hand on Yakko's shoulder. "If you two need me, you'll find me just outside the building." With that, Harold walked off.

Yakko stood in silence as he watched medics surround his baby brother, attaching various medical equipment to him. He felt an ache in his heart; he was so desperate to just jump next to Wakko and embrace him. He missed the warmth of his touch so badly and wanted nothing more than to just hold him.

"Wak! Come on! Say something!" Dot spoke frantically. Yakko placed a loving hand on her shoulder.

Once the medics cleared and there was some space next to his bed, the two siblings went over and took a seat next to their brother. Yakko took Wak's hand and affectionately squeezed it while Dot laid her head against Yakko. Time went by without a word spoken, when suddenly, a small, brown bunny with crutches and a bandage wrapped around his leg took a seat on the opposite side of the bed. The bunny didn't speak, but just gazed upon Wakko with forlorn eyes.

"Whats your name?" Yakko broke the silence.

"Alex." The bunny responded with little emotion.

There was another stint of silence as Yakko, Dot, and Alex just sat around Wakko, all eagerly hoping for him to wake up soon. Yakko looked up and studied Alex's expression, which indicated a strong sadness and regret that the brown bunny was clearly trying his hardest to suppress.

"Do you know Wakko?" Yakko asked.

"We were... w-we helped..." Alex choked on his words as he cleared his throat. "We tried to escape together- me, him, and another human boy, Jarod."

Yakko frowned as he heard the intense emotion in Alex's tone.

"We almost made it too..." Alex wiped a tear from his eyes. "But, we were caught."

Dot frowned and held onto Yakko's arm.

"The asshole who ran that place..." Alex paused briefly and wiped his nose. "He took them and gave them a double injection of the dip-solution."

Yakko's eyes widened as he looked at Wakko, who appeared so small and sickly in comparison to the other children.

"Jarod, h-he..." Alex buried his face into his hands as he let out soft, stifled sobs. "D-Didn't make it."

Yakko was stunned by his words. Dealing with grief was not something Yakko had ever really done before. The most serious situations he had to deal with was always just things with his siblings, whether that be fights, bad dreams, or bullies. This time, someone that Wakko knew and probably cared for was dead, and Yakko had no idea what to do. He wished he could make things better for them, that he could push some sort of magic switch that would cause the pain to just... go away. But he couldn't. All he could do was be there for them.

"I'm so sorry, Alex." Yakko spoke with a level of uncertainty and hesitation that was completely foreign to him.

"Don't be." Alex wiped his eyes and sat up straight in his chair. "It's my fault. They were the ones who were caught, not me."

As Alex spoke, his breathing rate began to increase and a small tinge of anger filled his voice.

"Jarod was innocent. He has two parents who love him who are now gonna be planning a goddamn funeral." Alex's leg began to shake as he spoke.

Yakko felt his stomach get tied into knots. He thought of what would have happened if it was Wakko who didn't survive. He couldn't even imagine the devastation of losing him, which made him feel terrible for the parents of Jarod. Yakko's eyes began to swell with tears.

"It just..." Alex could barely speak. "It should've been me."

"Don't say that." Yakko retorted.

"Nobody would miss me. I don't even fucking have parents." Yakko cringed at Alex's words, while Dot's ear twitched as she heard the F bomb.

"It doesn't matter, Alex. The world would miss you." Yakko did his best to sound comforting, but he feared he was only making it worse.

Alex was about to respond when he heard a faint groan coming from Wakko. The three children stopped in their tracks as Wakko's eyes slowly lifted open, and Yakko got chills when he felt Wakko grip his hand ever so gently.

"Wak? You OK, bud?" Yakko leaned over to Wakko.

"Yakko..." Wakko's voice was dry and cracky as he responded.

Wakko lifted his arms towards Yakko, who gently wrapped his arms around him and nuzzled against his forehead. Dot got out of her chair and crawled up onto the bed, joining in on the embrace as she felt her brothers warmth.

"Am I dead?" Wakko asked.

Yakko couldn't help but chuckle.

"No, you're very much alive." Yakko ran his hand across Wakko's cheek as he embraced him.

Wakko sighed and felt his mind and body relax as the warmth of his siblings embrace took over.

"I love you guys... so much..." Wakko's voice was still tired and cracky as he spoke.

Alex smiled at the three of them as he caught Wakko's gaze, who gave him a concerned look. Alex could tell that Wakko wanted to know where Jarod was, but instead of speaking, Alex just gave him a sad smile. Wakko could tell by the look on the boys face that he was gone, which caused him to let out a small choke and grip his siblings harder.

Alex watched the Warners embrace with a sweet, but sad smile. He was used to being lonely, but watching someone else receive love and affection just made it more painful. He was about to stand up and leave the three alone when he heard Yakko speak.

"Hey, Alex. Wakko wants to say something to you."

Alex felt like a deer in headlights. Yakko and Dot scooted over to make room for Alex, who knelt beside the bed close to Wakko.

"Alex-" Wakko choked and cleared his throat.

"C'mon now, don't choke to death just because you wanna say something." Alex tried to speak with his usual dry, sarcastic tone, but he found himself feeling more emotional than usual.

"T-Thank you."

Alex felt a tug on his heart. "There's nothing to thank me for, Warner."

"You were t-there for me. Y-You came back for me when you didn't have to." Alex's throat began to swell up. "You... y-you made me less afraid." Alex felt a tear fall from his eyes as Wakko spoke. He only knew Wakko for a short time, but he could tell that Wakko cared for him.

"Shit Wak, now you're making me cry." Wakko wrapped his arms around Alex's shoulders and pulled him into a tight embrace. Alex was reluctant and awkward at first, but soon gave up and allowed himself to enjoy the display of affection.

Soon, Alex started thinking about Jarod. He began trembling as he imagined how happy the young human boy would have been in this situation.

"It's not your fault, Alex." Wakko whispered, causing Alex to choke back sobs. "I promise it's not your fault."

"He should be here right now. With you." Alex responded.

"I know, Alex." Wakko felt his composure begin to fail. "But he's not. W-We can't do anything about it."

Alex didn't respond.

"Just... P-Please promise me you won't blame yourself." Wakko's tears streamed down his face.

Alex let go of the embrace and wiped his tears away. He smiled at Wakko. "I promise."


End file.
